October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came –
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, “October’s Party~

 

Yes, Autumn is upon us… but in my real life location, the leaves have not started to change much and I am missing the colors that paint the earth so beautifully as we prepare for the bareness of Winter.  I lived many years in Florida and one of the reasons I was open to a move was to once again experience the seasons of change – primarily Autumn and Spring.  Living in the United States Mid-Atlantic region now provides much more opportunity to be greeted by the colors, smells and sounds of each season.

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.
~George Eliot~

 

In Second Life, we can create any season at anytime in the year.  We can build Spring in Autumn and Winter in Summer.  The creators of the trees, the flowers, the grasses, the ground textures, the animals and all ensure that we have the materials that allow us to live within the beauty that we choose.  One sim that provides the color of nature is Alirium Gardens.  I was there recently and truly enjoyed the beauty that the sim creator Alir Flow has put together.  This “garden” is a natural garden that appears to be guided by a gardener, but allowed to run wild concurrently.

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.
My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.
The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.
~Abram L. Urban~

 

Alirium Gardens is just that… a garden of thoughts and dreams… and it is a beautiful place to walk through the grasses and see the colors and wetlands.  To see the butterflies and animals hidden in the trees and to listen… yes, listen… the sounds here are those of birds, crickets and the wind rustling through the trees.  It is a lovely spot to visit…enjoy nature in the Virtual World.

Look at the trees, look at the birds,
look at the clouds, look at the stars…
and if you have eyes you will be able to
see that the whole existence is joyful.
Everything is simply happy.
Trees are happy for no reason;
they are not going to become prime ministers
or presidents and they are not going to become rich
and they will never have any bank balance.
Look at the flowers – for no reason.
It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.
~Osho~

 

 

To bring a needed bit of happiness, meditation, reflection, or just to add some color to your SLife… spend some time in the soft and lovely forested gardens of Alirium…

 

Enjoy each day, cherish and grow 🙂

~Sunshine