Autumn

Today I think I'll talk about Autumn, and the changes in the weather that it brings. Last week I noticed a need to keep the bed's quilt on top of me at night. That means the temperature is dipping down into the 40s outside. Soon I'll need to wear slippers around the house, and don a sweater during the day.

It rained all night last night. That's so nice, because we need the moisture. In fact, it rained most of the morning today. It slacked off just before I had to go to church. Thinking it was going to continue, I put on my new pink rain jacket. Of course, it didn't rain a lick all during church, and wouldn't you know it? I left my pretty pink rain gear hanging in the hallway at church. Maybe if I blog about it, I'll remember it next week. Maybe some of you will remind me in a comment to bring it home next week?

The pre-fall weather has been quite nice, but next week the weatherman says we're going to have a bit of warming up. I imagine that will be the last gasp of summer, now that fall is officially here. In the mountains, that means something that you don't notice much in the Phoenix area. It means that the slight yellowing of my oak trees will soon morph into bright yellow trees, then bare branches. We'll have orange and gold and red leaves around here before too long. The daytime temperatures will get nippy, and frost can't be too far behind. In fact, frost will probably be on the pumpkin next month.

I enjoy fall. I no longer panic when I smell wood smoke in autumn. It's not from a forest fire; it's my neighbors stoking up their woodstove to keep warm. There's no fragrance quite like it. I've mentioned the turning of the leaves. Another thing going on is elk bugling. Just as there is no fragrance like wood smoke, there is no sound that resembles an elk calling. It's a part of living in the pine forests that I love.

What do you love about where you live?