Ahhhh........ the gentle sounds of autumn in the mountains.  The few trees with yellow leaves have begun giving them up to the breezes.  We've added walking to our routine now that the humidly uncomfortable summer weather is dwindling.  Our feet scuffed leaves along the path in Konehete Park this morning bringing to mind childhood memories of Hudson and Clinton.  One day on my walk home from high school, I removed my shoes on River Street and finished the rest of the way barefoot.  Fall leaves are meant to be raked into mountainous piles and lunged in.  Fall leaves are to be throw high in the air and enjoyed as they float back to earth.   Fall leaves are for pressing and saving between heavy book pages for later memories. 

On the back porch this afternoon, a few leaves float by me as the last three or four hummingbirds hit the feeders.  A few acorns ping the roof as a reminder that soon more will follow. This morning I discovered another huge kobucha squash in the garden.  Kale and mustard greens look happy after our surprise afternoon shower yesterday.  Fall potatoes are flowering and I covered the garlic with straw for their fall and winter protection.  It's still warm, 86 degrees today but mornings are in the 50's so it takes longer to reach the highs. 

When I started thinking and posting on the back porch, the only sounds were the birds.  The quiet was calming and it allowed me to think, when suddenly the quiet was overcome with chainsaws and huge falling trees breaking and crashing to the ground rumbling the forest floor.  My thinking is done.