Autumn!

It is December 1st, but there are still 20 days left until the winter solstice. The leaves left the limbs of the trees later than usual this year, but it gave me the chance to remember why this is my favorite time of year. When we were kids we each had a rake. The backyard was full of trees and we would have to rake up the many colored leaves that had fallen from their branches. We would groan and complain, but it would always be a great day. It would be cold outside, but we would work up such a sweat that we wouldn't wear our coats. The pile of leaves would get bigger and bigger throughout the day and when we were finished, with blisters on the insides of our thumbs, we would leap into the leaves and roll around in them! That was so much fun! Sometimes we would arrange the leaves in a sort of maze, too. I was reminded of this when I was walking home the other day. I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. In fact, I seek the sound out. You have to pick a leaf that is wrinkled and dry. It looks like crumpled paper that has been rained on and then dried by the sun. Those leaves make the right sound. It sounds like the crackle of a fire in the fireplace. I found myself running after this sort of leaf just knowing it would sound as perfect as I imagined.