Signs of Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season. The crisp, (seemingly) clean air that blows the hot, sticky, humid, mosquito-filled atmosphere somewhere far from here is one of my very best friends. The smell of the ubiquitous cinnamon broomsticks at the grocery store makes my nose tingle and puts a smile on my face. The colors of the fall - deep golds, spicy oranges, chocolaty browns - are some of my very favorites. And nothing beats the taste of pumpkin pie in my book.

The other day G spotted this dark berry that had fallen to the ground. Or maybe it's a nut. In any case, it was deep and dark, hard and shiny, and looked like it was preparing for a long winter before it would rise up again and grow to be some sort of fresh and dewy plant in the spring. It made me happy to think that my friend Autumn would be here to visit soon.