Fall is here

Not by the calendar, of course. And it's probably only temporary. But the weather has cooled down to the comfortable mid- to upper-70s, the leaves are starting to drift down, and there's a golden glow to the air itself that only comes in the fall. Summer is harsh bleaching sun and baked earth; winter is the cold blue of sky and colorless snow; spring is fresh green grass and deep forever skies (my second favorite season, if you hadn't guessed). Only autumn is warm gold all over - earth, sky - the very air. And the smell of the dying leaves and plants - a heavy earthy smell second only to the bare earth after a rain.  It's like being wrapped in soft, warm blankets (just before being tossed into the icy bath of winter!). The fruition of all that's been done in the previous months, the wrapping up and cleaning up and getting prepared for hibernation. The season of accomplishment. That's when my rebirth happens. It's also when I want to be on the move - restless as the geese flying overhead. Sometimes it gets so bad I physically ache to be going somewhere. Anywhere...

Okay, so maybe I'm waxing a bit too poetic, but fall is my favorite season of all. I'm sincerely hoping we're in for an early and long autumn. I'm ready for the summer to be over.