Autumn check-in

It was a frosty morning this morning. Yesterday's snowfall was gone, but for a few crunchy traces as I walked up our hill for an early am glance at the color. The temperature was a bracing 20 or so with the whipping wind making the trees dance and wave. I enjoyed the cold. It warmed my heart, made me smile. Funny, that. A moment ago I had been conversing with Ginger and Mary Ann after we had had our ritual wing-flapping dashes back and forth across our hill to wave away the night's cooped up feeling and welcome the day. As we carried on with our post-dash gabble I could hear the faint cry of goose calls high above us and when I looked up, sure enough, there was that familiar "V" high in the sky heading south. Over the past few days Ginger and Mary Ann have tilted their eyes skyward whenever they've heard that sound and its frozen them in place. In wonderment? In curiosity? Is there a longing? Do they recognize it as a group of their early summer friends? Who knows? It's comforting though this expected familiar ritual. And I've seen it in some form since I was a child at this time of year, but being out in the midst of nature, I feel closer to it, more intimate with it. It's stunningly beautiful.

We're past peak color now, just past, but still the colors continue to change and marvel. It was fun sharing the season with my mom who has now come to visit at all times of year. She's a vigorous 79 and was eager to help pitch in with moving our firewood pile from the side porch where it's been curing all summer down into our bulkhead and then stacked once more in the cellar. She was lateraling those logs down like a pro and she had no aches the next morning. Good for her. Over the weekend of her visit we tooled around all over the state and on Sunday we took in the Apple Pie Festival in Dummerston, Vermont, down near Brattleboro. It was alot of fun taking part in this little town's annual event of baking and selling 1500 pies - slices and whole pies - and having their little ville invaded by tourists, most of whom came by motorcycles. So incongruous seeing all these leather clad post-50 and 60 year old cyclists striding around this quaint, clapboard Vermont town. Sort of silly and wonderful all at the same time. It was a good day for coffee too and we tried all kinds throughout the day - in the food tents at Dummerston, at Dirt Cowboy in Hanover, at the rest stop on the 91 heading south out of White River Junction, and of course at home, care of Vermont Kingdom Coffee Roasters at home (thanks Rob and Yves!!). We were pleased with all the coffee suppliers. Yum. [Vermont Kingdom Coffee Roasters is Reason oh, let's say 29 I love living in Vermont. Excellent, EXCELLENT coffee!]

That's all for now. Hope everyone's enjoying their autumn!