Fall is in the air. The Woods has many revelers. There is a reason for their joy. We walk where others have gone before. It is a restful thought. I am not the first to take photos of the sandstone. The spirits of past explorers watch. Baseball is playing the last games of the season. They hope for a birth in the prize bracket. We fans identify with them. We are in a life’s contest. Some days the going gets tough, while other days the tough get going. I saw some butterflies the other day. They posed for photos. Their beauty is unparalleled. Butterflies know more than they reveal to humans. The majesty of life propels them. The purpose of life keeps them. Fall is coming, and they are ready for the change. Change is a certainty.

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? ‘The Butterfly effect is a concept from chaos theory that describes how a small, seemingly insignificant change in the initial conditions of a complex deterministic system can lead to large, unpredictable differences in the system’s later state.’ ‘Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?’

So it goes. We live in an interdependent world. The substance that makes up the sandstone boulders in the Woods makes me up as well…and you too. The Earth is not our resource to exploit for financial gain. We come from the Earth and to the Earth we will return.

Mylo saw the Subaru pull into the drive. He knew that Dad was home. Mylo is always happy to see me. He spends his days studying the machinations of his human family. Now and again, he barks his approval or dissent. After all, he is a Brooks. I wonder how funny we appear to aliens? Yes, I believe in the possibility of life on other planets. We are part of a much bigger picture. Space is vast. We are a warlike tribal people. Sunday Rest is good for us.

Reset is coming. Home for the Holidays. A time to reflect. A time to renew. Happiness is basic. Help someone. Love your family without judgment. Seek to enrich your spirit. We do not know what we do not know. Everything is not revealed in empirical science. Science is vital to our existence. It does not study what it can not see.

Labor Day is coming. It seems like yesterday we were anticipating Memorial Day. We are riding the State Fair Rollercoaster. We have consumed our barbecue sandwich and funnel cake. We marvelled at the headless man. We got a glimpse of the governor. The State Police smiled at us. They are the governor’s protectors. The carnival lights of the Fair are mesmerizing. It is like another world. No sorrow or sighing. They are giving out Blue Ribbons. A cold beer is good just before Labor Day. Thank you to those who labor. Our country would be nothing without you. The mystery of small towns. Most of us live in them. No Broadway or Empire State Building. No Wall Street and the Bull. No fight to reach the highest rung of the corporate ladder. It is hard to find the ladder. Horses with wide, toothy grins. Four H and Girl Scouts. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.