Autumn Glory

Dust billows from the gravel road with each passing vehicle, and even the cool season grasses are brown from lack of rain. Many trees provided early autumn color but were quickly blown bare by stiff winds. Those that remained green retained their leaves.

During the last few days, those trees have put on autumn colors and the hills have achieved a colorful perfection not seen following moister summers. While out on an errand, my husband drove north on our gravel road and when he returned he suggested that I take a drive to see the colors in the trees lining the road.

What I found barely took my breath away. The oaks (usually merely an ordinary autumn brown) are dressed in their finest glory of oranges, reds, rusts and golden yellows.

While the elms are brilliant in yellow.

The longer slant of light adds a suffused, otherworldy glow to Buck Creek, which flows near our house and along the road to which it lends its name.

Even in the noonday sun, everything is soft in the autumn light. Shadows are less crisp, less pronounced, as the veil thins and boundaries soften.

Tonight, I will again cover the peppers against the frost. The tomatoes were done in by the first freeze, even though they were covered. The last of the season's tomatoes, both ripe and unripe sit on the counter awaiting their final fate. Tonight, Winter takes one step nearer, while Autumn gives it her all.