On the first day of autumn, we awoke to one of the clearest days we can remember. The complete dearth of clouds, and so little moisture of any type in the sky, caused the usually lingering sunrise to enter and exit quickly as a pale peachy smudge behind the Cascade range. On the day when we experience near equal amounts of daylight and darkness (sunrise 6:57 am, sunset 7:07 pm), temperatures belied the autumnal date, reaching nearly 90!
Our roses now carry more buds than I’ve seen all summer and the merest handful of leaves have begun to turn color on our property. Made it challenging to get into the swing of fall, or fall into the swing of autumn, or…something…
But in defiance of the thermometer, I conjured autumn colors, stoked the oven and roasted red, yellow and orange peppers with red onions until they were caramelized, rich and dark, while baking panko-breaked tilapia, drizzled with fine, dark Vermont maple syrup. Delicious! (I come from a family of great chefs but please don’t get the idea I’m a cook, or chef, or foodie. I have a very small repertoire that I trot out on special occasions and thankfully, a very undemanding husband. Otherwise, it’s fresh fruit and veg for us most of the time.)
We ate outside, as we do all meals in warm weather, while the dipping sun bronzed the tops of the tall firs that surround us.
Too brief, today, I’m afraid. A big adventure is afoot…
To paraphrase John Muir, may the winds blow their own freshness into you, and your cares drop away from you like the leaves of autumn. :)
How did you mark the first day of Fall?
– g
Beautiful.. Just Beautiful