Soft and Gentle

I padded my way through the woods this morning in search of an image that would convey this soft and gentle time of year, the in-betweens of summer and fall, with cool nights, gentle breezes and gentle days...

My steps were practically soundless on the dampened path, especially compared to the sharp crackling of crisp leaves day before yesterday.  The rain has come, though not as much as we would like, of course.  The only disturbance as I walked came from a pair of woodpeckers talking to one another and arguing about which one owned a particularly scruffy, bug-riven pine tree.  Tulip Poplar leaves cascaded down around me, carpeting the ground at my feet with gold.  When the woodpeckers decided to shop elsewhere, the forest became quiet again until a squirrel overhead began to lecture me.  Everyone's got a viewpoint to be shared.   As I said, we've gotten a modest amount of rain--almost two inches. The forecast is for dropping temperatures as the week moves forward--down into the forties.  Guess I will be forced to put on those flannel sheets after all!  I think I am feeling almost weightless with the end of the garden season this year.  The whirlwind has subsided.  It's time to rest a bit before we head into winter.