Today, I saw the first multi-colored leaf laying in my yard. I wish I could say the same for the acorns which, I am afraid, are going to be prolific this year. But, be that as it may, there is no denying, fall is coming.

I love to sleep with the windows open. It is getting chilly by morning. Even Kramer is snuggling in a little closer. But, for me, it is a time of reawakening. A time when the air has been refreshed. The mornings are chilly when I walk Kramer. The air is clean with perhaps the faint scent of pine and a hint of wood smoke.

I live in a rural heavily wooded subdivision. Here, every increasingly chilly gust of wind ruffles the trees and attests to the upcoming change of season. A harbinger of what is to come. I welcome it, even knowing that it is a prelude to colder winds, heavy snows, and frigid temperatures. A test, if you would, to see if we are ready.

But, even in transition, Mother Nature is providing us with an encore, displaying all the charms of her seasons to a standing ovation. A cacophony of sounds, colors, and scents blending together. Her last curtsy before the final curtain.

I watch the not infrequent fall of leaves. Most colorful, going out in a blaze of glory. Others spent, browned. just looking for a place of comfort.

Soon, I will be spending hours in the yard, cleaning up the leaves and acorns that are enveloping my yard. The fruit of the trees that provide the beauty I treasure throughout former seasons. I think it is a fair trade.

While I will continue to embrace the beauty of every season, this season will always embody my anticipation of tomorrow. The naked trees, the silence of the snow, the warmth within when frigid winds test themselves against the hug of the warmth of my fireplace.

Fall, the time when nature cleanses itself, washing away the stains of yesterday and primping itself in preparation of a new tomorrow. For me, it doesn’t get any better then that.