Blatchley’ s description of“ the glamour of a perfect fall day,” allows a perspective from Indiana naturalists who are thrilled at all of nature, particularly the autumn of the year. In Boulder Reveries he references“ ironweed in bloom amid the many kinds of goldenrods, a purple Joe-pye weed stretching high above them, and the golden glow of a favorite sugar maple.” He documents the beauty and the regular account of change.“ Nature has her own time and mood for doing things. It matters not though the protests of a million men be on record.”
Despite the unrest now due to COVID, a collective uncertainty of what lies ahead, somehow another fall in Brown County returns us on a regular course. Keyed into nature’ s processes, we can attempt to resume a plan of normalcy. While all things in life, work, home chores, and school, are on different schedules requiring our vigilance, nature can be a stable force for many, maybe the only force that makes sense.
Sounds, songs, and sites of nature we look forward to, like a cool, crisp fall morning, fog on an open pasture, the call of cranes overhead, still occur. Timed by the seasons, inherent and predictable, we are heartened by the“ business of nature.”
Guaranteed in the thought nature’ s schedule is intact, an infallible occurrence in an otherwise uncertain time, we can continue.
As the pulsating cicada chorus winds down and the last thrushes are marked on the August calendar, a slight coolness of most mornings now greets me as I head from the house.
Like Blatchley, with a kinship of all Indiana naturalists, I make mental notes on my walks, eyes towards the ground, but mindful of distant sounds. If I hear a bird I know, it’ s comforting. If I smell a scent not always present, I know something different had happened at night, and I wonder aloud. Never bored, always aware of changes, the season’ s color now a favorite, it is the time to walk your favorite trail, reassured, and return to what can stabilize, comfort, and renew.
For more information about W. S. Blatchley, contact the Blatchley Nature Study Club, Noblesville, Indiana. •
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everyone’ s mind, yes, there will be biscuits and gravy for breakfast. But will it be the same? Will the B & G be up to the old Brownies’ standard? You’ ll just have to drive up to Bean Blossom and find out for yourself. Do a little sampling of your own,
In these dark times for the restaurant industry, when so many of our eateries and beaneries have fallen by the wayside through no fault of their own, it is reassuring to see signs of life and resurgence amongst our favorite local dining spots.
It just goes to show, you should never count out a true institution. They have a destiny to fulfill and a place in the natural order of things.
So, Hail and Welcome! Here’ s to the two newest old restaurants in the Brown County dining pantheon. May you thrive, live long, and prosper. •
Lil Black Bear Inn B & B
ONE-OF-A-KIND MOSAIC TABLES
Breakfast e a f ast s t Daily D i y
POSTCARD PAINTINGS SERIES
Your Home away from Home
On three acres with a pond, grill, firepit, hot tub, and large patio
Close to Nashville and Columbus • Kid and Pet Friendly 8072 State Rd 46 East • Nashville, IN • 812-988-2233
lilblackbearinn. com • lilblackbearinn @ gmail. com
Available at Spears Pottery in Nashville, IN
( On South Van Buren Street, near the stoplight, next to the Nashville House)
Sept./ Oct. 2020 • Our Brown County 57