One of the Last Outdoor Walks

Today's walk up to the pharmacy was kind of bitter sweet: although it was a beautiful day for a walk, with warm temperatures, almost no wind and lots of sunshine, I was very aware that winter is soon coming and this would be one of the last days to get out and about on foot.  

The sun was so low in the sky at 1:30pm it was actually somewhat depressing, to be honest.  The wasp activity was just crazy all along the route and forced me to talk to myself to stay calm and cover my shiny ring and purse clasp so they wouldn't be so apt to fly at me in their curiousity about those bright, interesting looking items.  Yuck!!

The leaves on the ground and along the curb gutters are all ready brown and miserable to look at. While there are still green and yellow leaves left on some of the trees, the bare limbs all ready look half dead while they await the winter snow.  I suppose the lack of moisture is to blame for the first early leaf fall back at the end of August, but it means we have been staring at brown, crispy, dead leaves on the ground for over a month all ready. Only a very few trees near our place had leaves that turned beautiful red before fading to orange and deep yellow prior to falling off the branches.

When I arrived home later in the afternoon the sun was even lower in the sky.  I find myself closing the blinds and drapes now between 7-7:30pm as it is getting dark so early.  My husband and I find ourselves asking each other if it is time for bed  yet and then discovering it is only just after 8pm.  We have done that 3 evenings in a row!   

Finding out my sister in law and her husband are coming for Christmas was just the boost I needed today. She emailed her news just after I read the weather forecast for next week and discovered freezing rain was supposed to be occuring in the wee hours of next Wednesday morning.  Talk about depressing, but now the forecast has been revised.  The rain now next week is only supposed to last for 2 days instead of 3, stopping sometime on Tuesday afternoon and having a chance to dry up before the temperature drops below freezing overnight.  It will be most interesting to see what REALLY happens! hahaha