Autumn

This weekend we have enjoyed our first bit of autumn weather in Monument, Colorado.  Heavy low clouds hang on the mountains. The world has closed in around the yard. Red, gold, and brown leaves are scattered over the fading green of the lawn. A few last hardy mums and asthers still blossom. Tiny drops of moisture cling to bare branches. The fog brings with it a certain tranquility… a hush that makes me want to slow down and enjoy life in the moment just a little bit more.  I haven’t turned on the news this weekend. I know, outside, there is still a world having a financial crisis and politicians madly dashing about the country with an urgency to be the One. Here, there is no madness, no hostility, no crisis looming on the horizon. There is just the garden and the fog and the colors of autumn.