I’ve been trying to deny it, but there’s just no escaping the fact that fall is well and truly upon us. Leaves are falling from the trees, early mornings find the car windows frosted over, and more often than not, these days, we’ve got a fire going in the wood stove. I walked with the little girls to the grocery store this afternoon, and we were all bundled up like November instead of September.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, as engaged as we’ve all been in autumnal pursuits. The kids and I are going to school, of course, and here at home Olof has been keeping himself busy chopping wood and making applesauce. Every year it drives him crazy that I let the apples from our two small-ish trees go to waste, so he’s taken full advantage of his time at home and put away liters upon liters of applesauce. At last count, he’d added at least twenty liters to the freezer, and he claims he’s not near finished.

Also a sign of the season is the impending baseball post-season. The Braves look pretty good going in, and as ever, I’m hopeful about their chances. As of today, there are nine games left in the regular season, and I’m already feeling a little bereft and counting down the scant five months until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. After six months of seeing a game nearly every day, the off-season is just brutal.