It's Raining Leaves!

This morning there were leaves raining down in my back yard. And it was happening below just one tree.

The enormous Locust at the end of the drive, a weed disguised in arbor form, was furiously shedding its foliage. The hard frost from the previous night had taken its toll and the tiny leaves were hitting the ground with an audible tick.

My three dogs and I walked into the storm. While they spun wildly through the downfall like furry gyroscopes, I took a moment to enjoy a gentle pelting in the crisp, clear early morning air.

When my beasts had settled from their autumn dance, we walked into a house redolent with the comforting smell of apples. Earlier I had set a large pot of various varieties to stew on the stove, handpicked during a recent outing with my daughters.

Fall is the perfect time to make my mother's homemade applesauce, fabulous in its simplicity: Wash and quarter some apples, chuck them in a pot to cook until mush, run them through a food mill for a lovely pink sauce. It is one of the few things my girls will still clamor for.

This morning served to refresh my fondness for seasonal changes. While I might wish it were raining men, I will happily settle for the prancing leaves, dancing dogs and delightful smells that began my day.