It’s my favorite time of year. Our garden was amazing this year, and we still have brilliant red tomatoes on the vines. I have made more spaghetti sauce this fall than last year, and there are at least five big containers of it downstairs in the freezer. Looks like I will be making lots of lasagna this winter.

There’s something rather wonderful about this time of year; we start thinking of Halloween, and the winter holidays. The Crankee Yankee decided that he would start skiing again. I myself have skied so much when I was younger that I’ve skiied enough, thank you very much. However, I will go with him when he wants to ski; while he’s doing that, I will hunker in the lodge by the fire with a good book and a cup of cocoa.

But for now, just seeing the colored leaves and the blue ski of fall, it is a perfect time of year. We are lucky in New England to have all this beauty around us. This is the time we begin thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. But for the time being, just enjoying the beauty of fall is enough.

The birds and creatures feel the change in the weather, and they are busy getting ready for fall and then winter. By this time, the pond dwellers are nearly ready to nap in the mud at the bottom of the pond during the cold months. There are loads of empty birds’ nests in the reeds, and the great blue heron doesn’t alway show up as he does during the summer. The lone massive turtle is still enjoying the pond, but he too will eventually hunker down for the coming winter.

But for now, we are enjoying the beauty of fall. If you decide to drive up to the mountains, you will see the amazing colors of fall on your way. Sure it’s a harbinger of the coming winter, but for now, just enjoy the time and the weather.