Photo Essay: October Into Winter

October is my favorite month. No secret there. The colors of the changing leaves, the culmination of the growing season. The climax and a finale for yet another year. It's a wrap. Or nearly so. November brings many subtle lingering colors and whispers to appreciate, too.

Some people, though, seemingly choose to regard this cooling weather with feelings of dread. Of freezing temperatures and icy roads to come. I don't enjoy slippery road travel, either, but why worry about it before it even arrives? By doing so one only extends the worry instead of appreciating the present moment. And a glorious time of year it is.

At the time I write this, already the leaves have largely fallen. Still dry and crisp, they dance their last dance in the autumn breezes across my driveway. A last show before decaying back into the soil, nourishing it by returning to it. The plants lift the soil's nutrients above ground, and they give it back. Balance.

I find myself preparing for winter just as the plants and animals (at least the wildlife) do. Preparing and adjusting. No more wearing shorts (for me, I mean, not the wildlife) at this chilly time at 6,500 feet elevation, despite the warm northern Arizona sun. I've another winter's wood stacked neatly alongside the house. I'm ready.

I'm doing my best to notice the subtle changes in each day, in each change of the weather. Certainly noticing how much further south the sun rises and sets now. In a couple more months it will start to swing the other way. The months before and after will consist of days that seem short and cold, but no less bright. The scarcity of daylight only enhances the brevity.

If I notice. I think I will. I usually do. I'll do my best.

Photo location: Coconino National Forest, near Flagstaff in Northern Arizona.