Autumn is in the Air

I suppose we all have to admit at some point that summer is really over.

The air is noticeably cooler today, and I'm watching for that shift in the light when it changes from summer's gold to just a bit more silvery during the day.

Some of the leaves are already giving in. I think I can hear them shout "Geronimo!" as they let go every now and then.

Last week, before sickness set in, we visited our garden spot again, and I found a wonderful fall surprise at the back edge, near the fence, mostly hidden under its own huge leaves and not a few gigantic weeds. Our first--and quite impressive--fall pumpkin!

Bill suggested that I enter it in the Mountain State Fair. I don't know if it's a prizewinner, but it surely is lovely, and just the suggestion from my husband--who has seen a lot of fine produce in his day--that anything I grew might be worth putting on display is a prize in itself.

Jill always has had a thing for gigantic orange vegetables. Last year, she hauled a huge candy-roaster around with her until I pried it from her pudgy arms and stewed it in the crockpot. She continued to enjoy it all winter long, just in a different context.