last bits of color

i spent the day today buttoning up the house for winter: putting away hoses, replacing screens with storm windows, moving pots into garage, and of course, raking. the leaves are completely down now, and mostly brown. but, a few bits of color could still be found. color is now the exception, not the rule. and that will be the case until next march. i like these annual rhythms. i am looking forward to this time of quiet and stillness. i understand the impulse to flea to warmer climates as we age. fighting the cold is tiring. but, i would miss this time of enforced dormancy. i have totally different rituals and rhythms in summer and winter. and i like them both equally.

fall leaves (maple, elm, birch, oak)