October 30: On May 9 I declared Spring officially underway in a post that featured a photograph of a Saucer Magnolia in bloom at the end of my street. Today I went out and discovered that the adjacent tree is fully aflame with autumn foliage, while the Magnolia ironically has not one leaf of colour.
Today is also the day I chose to move my motorcycle into storage in my cousin’s garage. This is the first time in about 15 years that I have not stored the bike with Pro 6 – my repair and maintenance guys of choice. Past experience with storing the bike on my own suggests that it will be harder to get going again in the Spring, but we will have to wait and see about that.
Having parked the bike in the garage, I took TTC home. Since I was wearing my riding jacket and carrying my helmet, there were a few inquisitive glances, but it wasn’t until I got on the bus, that someone – the driver – asked “Where’s the bike ?” Turns out he is way more committed than I and has a bike he rides year-round. As I got off the bus, a guy going in the opposite direction also asked about the bike. It was as if the helmet and gear broke the ice and gave people permission to start a brief and enjoyable conversation with a stranger.
Whatever it was, during those conversations, talk turned to the end of the season and the approach of Winter. Harbingers abound: Squirrels stashing nuts at a furious pace; raptors lazily circling on thermals as they migrate south; the crack-head garden crew assaulting my ears with leaf-blowers; and, of course, trees changing colour. My neighbourhood Saucer Magnolia seems determined to resist that trend, a determination I applaud. Perhaps it is not quite Autumn yet, the death of Summer called prematurely.