I had to give in. Over the weekend I managed to keep the house toasty by using the woodstove but today I did it. It's September 10 and I turned the furnace on. I opted for a nap after work instead of stoking the fire.

The forecast is for snow this week. I wasn't counting on that. I was hoping that the beautiful autumn colors would be around for a few weeks. My favorite hiking trail is pretty colorful these days but the leaves have started to drop. 

The garden beds are almost cleared out; only a few carrots remaining. Most of the perennial flowers are finished blooming so I've been collecting flower seed for next year. There's one hardy bunch of lavatera that the frost hasn't kissed yet. It's providing me with some beautiful blossoms for indoor arrangements.

My drive to work these days is in total darkness. I had to use a flashlight this morning to be able to see the path to the garage. I don't know where the summer went.

Here's hoping that Mother Nature is just giving us a little teaser this week and that there are still many more autumn outdoor days to enjoy.