Signs of Autumn

Our mantle is decorated with pumpkins.

In the yard, automatic sprinklers were turned off and the water lines blown out today. No water will be trapped inside the pipes, threatening to freeze and burst.

Three wreaths of leaves and berries adorn the house and porch.

Fair weather tires were switched out for studded snow tires.

The first huge bag of pine needles has been raked from the front yard. Ten more will surely follow in the next six weeks.

Plastic pink flamingos give me the side eye every time I step down from the porch, asking when I’m going to get them out of the rain to escape the upcoming cold and wet months.

A hat and gloves are propped in the front closet near my purse now. It’s nearly always too cold to be outside without them.

The heat has been turned on in the rooms we occupy most often.

Extra blankets adorn each bed in the house.

Cozy soups and casseroles are on the dinner menu.

The leaves. Yes, the leaves are turning red, yellow, orange, brown, and gold. The ground will be carpeted with them with the coming freezing nights and windy days.

Currently, north Idaho has more cloud-covered and rainy days than clear crisp blue skies.

Thick sweaters and warm pajamas have switched places with their lighter counterparts.

Dale heads off to work before sunrise. Sundown comes far too early. My internal clock keeps skipping beats.

Lower barometric pressure gives me the blues.

An old friend was uncharacteristically cruel to me today. 

That’s given me the blues, too.