yep, it's fall

We've been burning wood for a few weeks now, though not as steadily as we do in colder months. But with the passing of Halloween, we've finally locked down the windows and turned on the heat.

Today, I noticed that the squirrels have lived up to their winter mandate. In place of our sleek backyard acrobats, we now have miniature grey groundhogs with fluffy tails. I could swear that they're moving a little more slowly than usual, and certainly not as gracefully.

A few years ago, we planted a witch hazel tree. Because it's young, it hangs onto its leaves a little bit longer than most of the surrounding trees. With recent winds and today's rain, most of the leaves are now on the ground. In their place are the most delicate spidery yellow flowers, completely covering the tree.

It's fall. The cats sit at the windows, trying to make sense of the changes happening outside. The changes continue, revealing little to our resident felines.