Weather has been just gorgeous, chamber of commerce comfortable.  Leaf color and fall festivals throughout western North Carolina are attracting parades of tourists. 

We're at our peak color.  Rain and wind earlier this week thinned out the trees but we still have plenty of color to enjoy.  Last night dropped to mid 30's and today will reach 80 with a front coming through by mid-week bringing us colder nights and a few days of only 54.  Br-r-r.  Last year the acorns rained on our roof and porch covering the porch floor and we experienced a brutally cold snowy winter.  So far this year, acorn dropping is light so we'll see if the winter is milder.  Farmer's Almanac predicts milder than last year.  I certainly hope so. 

Lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard seem to be surviving.  Row covers keep the night temps a few degrees warmer and I pull back the covers during the day.  It's a chance I take exposing the tasty leaves to the deer and rabbits, but so far no critters have eaten the little fall garden.