Autumn

When I walked out of the building this evening the wind was blowing out of the north west and it felt cool on my face even though the sun was warm. I caught a whiff of Jim & Nick's BBQ as I made my way to the truck. There was an azure sky with billowy white cotton candy clouds.
Days like this make my commute more enjoyable. I rolled down my window and let the cool air blow through what hair I have left. I noticed that people are putting up autumn decorations with bales of hay, pumpkins and fall flowers. Before long the trees will start turning and we'll start to smell burning leaves in the late afternoon.
When I was in the Army in Panama, there was no autumn and I missed it. My good friend Kirk Trachy from New Hampshire missed it even more. He got a care package from his sister late in October of 1972. She had included cookies, some jelly, and the contents were protected by autumn leaves. After we got off work the next evening, we all went out by the ocean and built a small fire with his pile of leaves. The aroma was heavenly. We all laid back in the sand and enjoyed the moment. That simple smell was enough to send us all back home for a while. What a gift.