Autumn, Oh Autumn! Where for art thou?

Most of us have experienced the extension of summer weather to some degree this year, and if you are like me you may feel that the heat of summer has outstayed its welcome. Air-conditioning in September and short sleeves in October do not feel right to this New England bred girl. I so look forward to the explosion of color on the trees, the crunch of leaves under my feet, and the crisp, invigorating air that turns my nose and cheeks red. Pumpkins and apple cider make me feel five years old again; I look forward to them every fall. Yet, in 80 degree weather, warm apple cider didn't have the same affect. Just last week a friend of mine from Texas (shout out to Nicky) wrote me a letter about the sole tree in her neighborhood that had brilliant red leaves and quickly became the envy of all. A front page article in The Onion, a farce newspaper left at our house by one of Josh's colleagues, humorously announced: Fall Canceled After 3 Billion Seasons. A portion of the article read,

The classic period of the year, which once occupied the coveted slot between
summer and winter, will be replaced by new, stifling humidity levels, near
constant sunshine, and almost no precipitation for months. "As much as we'd like
to see it stay, fall will not be returning for another season," National Weather
Service president John Hayes announced during a muggy press conference on Nov.
6. "Fall had a great run, but sadly, times have changed".

So today as Kate and I bundled up in sweatshirts and hats and gloves to go run errands I was thrilled to feel the cool air on my face. I eagerly anticipated driving down the road and seeing the reds, oranges and yellows of the oaks and maples that line the byways. Yet, what I noticed was not sunshine bouncing off brilliant arrays of colored foliage but rather the sky threatening the grey, moist, dampness that beckons in winter. Did I miss fall? Did it appear on Sunday afternoon as I enjoyed a relaxing nap and disappear before the sun rose on Monday?

As I desperately tried to capture any semblance of autumn, Kate amused me by posing for these photos: