As I said, there was bright sunlight this afternoon, well timed to illuminate the seasonal color which will soon be gone. The recent cold nights have caused the walnut tree to drop most of its leaves which now, yellow and still shiny with damp, almost completely conceal the back lawn. Across the street I see the dogwoods more than half bare, the ground around them red with fallen leaves. When the pavement was still dark and wet the scene reminded me of a pond blurrily reflecting the trees above it. The road verge is gold, strewn with fallen pine needles blown from the street by passing cars. The remaining leaves of the oaks are now mostly brown, though as the sun sets they turn a reddish copper color. The mulberry, as usual, is the laggard, its canopy still fairly thick and retaining much green. Still, the front lawn is thickly strewn with its fallen leaves.
The clearing sky indicates a colder night tonight. The new neighbors have just returned home, so I expect the air to fill with the smell of woodsmoke once again. The fresh air was nice while it lasted. Time to close my windows.
