waning

Lake Champlain pebbles, stacked.

And so the summer winds down...

• the lumbering tractors of neighbors who are cutting, tedding and baling hay.
• a full moon, glowing orange, dropping to the horizon near dawn.
• henry, at 2:30 am, chattering at the bats, swooping near the open window.
• the mountain ash berries, growing more orange every day, with branches bending under their weight.
• the first apples, piled on the kitchen counter.
• the bounty of yellow wax beans, in the garden, in the colander, in the freezer and in my belly.
• special guests, here for a very short time, sleeping on the three season porch, walking on the road and chatting into the night.
• a lovely afternoon, with Gretta, exploring both the public and "off the beaten track" parts of Shelburne Farms. Gathering, stacking and leaving behind the gorgeous pebbles of Lake Champlain.
• spotting a black bear cub, rummaging beside the road.
• goldenrod, hummingbirds, grasshoppers, spiders, a pair of hawks.
• watching a fireworks display down in the valley, while sitting by a comforting blaze in the fire pit.
• savoring the last of the local sweet corn.
• scheduling furnace maintenance. ordering firewood.
• red and orange tinges at the top of the maples.

What are you noticing as the seasons change in your neck of the woods?