Favorite time...

The fall came early this year. I am not unhappy with the shorter days, the crisp mornings, the urge to dig deep in my sweater drawers, looking for last year's favorites. The overwhelming desire to nest, to clean out closets, to put things to rights before winter.

My favorite farm stand is stuffed with apples and corn on the cob and onions and heirloom tomatoes. And on the other side of the building, table after table of chrysanthemums in all those gorgeous autumn colors, dark red and copper and gold and leaf green.

Yesterday I walked my neighborhood trail, where big-leaf maples have started dropping yellow leaves that crackled under my boots. After being dormant through late summer, the recent rains have brought the grass to life, as green as early spring.

The Canada geese have begun to fly over, looking for winter homes. There are always a few on the ponds in our valley each winter; we used to have a pair before our pond got too overgrown. I love hearing them in the morning, as they fly over the house on the way to the creek.

For all these reasons, it's my favorite season of the year.