The sun is shining and the day is warm. I joined Gracie outside and the two of us stayed for a while. While she was romping in the backyard, I leaned on the deck railing and took in the morning. New birds were at the feeders, house finches. They used to be frequent visitors, but this is the first time I’ve seen them this season. While I was on the deck, I filled the seed and suet feeders with the last of both. I’ll be shopping at Agway later.

Not much is happening in my life. The off-season has settled in, and my days and nights are quiet: no more plays, no more dinners on the deck and no more movie nights. At first I missed them, but it really didn’t take too long for me to adjust to this beautiful time of year. The days are warm enough to sit on the deck and read, and the nights are comfortable for sleeping. I started browsing through my recipes looking for comfort foods and soups, and shortly I’ll decorate the house. I’ll put out the deep reds and oranges and the gourds and pumpkins of autumn.

Even when I was a kid, I loved this time of year. We’d collect bright red maple leaves and yellow oak leaves then iron them between pieces of wax paper. On the way home from school, we’d walk in the gutters so we could kick up the fallen leaves. I remember battles when we’d run and toss handfuls of leaves at each other. My father was never a favorite of those, all the more to rake he’d complain.

I think fall has always been my favorite season.