Late summer...

The first feeling of autumn in the air has arrived already. I look out the kitchen windows at the orchard, and it just looks like autumn. The vinemaples are changing color, and the big leaf maples in the pasture are already losing their leaves.

But the biggest clue is waking up at 6:00 a.m. to mornings in the mid-40's, but the afternoons are still hot and dry.

All the tell-tale signs of a season in change, balanced so beautifully with late summer flowers.

I welcome the change. I put the garden to bed, then don't have to worry about it until spring. I welcome having the extra time for quilting and for photography.

Autumn is my favorite season.