And so it begins...

And so it begins....I have a love/hate relationship with autumn.

I love the cool, crisp air.  I love the vivid autumn colors painting the landscape.  I love the food...apple and pumpkin picking....and all the accompanying apple and pumpkin food. There is nothing quite like apple crisp and pumpkin bread in autumn.  It somehow, just wouldn't be the same in July.  There is something beautiful about an autumn day with the leaves crunching underfoot....and the Indian summers have to be the best weather ever, anywhere....

But, about those leaves that fall to the ground....they pose a huge problem for me, in that I do not possess the tools or the energy or the know-how to remove them.  I live in a wooded area....so I have to deal with way too many leaves.  Autumn is beautiful while the leaves decorate the trees in such beautiful hues.....but when the leaves have all fallen and the branches are stark and bare it is far less picturesque and enjoyable. And there is the fact that autumn's days are numbered and with each day and each fallen leaf comes the promise....the threat....of winter.

I am trying to focus on the wonder of autumn, while it is here, and allow it to fill me up with enough beauty and joy to sustain me until winter has passed and I rejoice in the signs of spring once again.

"Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.” 

~ Siobhan Vivian