This past Sunday was one of those autumn days, days that remind you of your childhood; the kind of sunny sky and warm wind that is the last tease before the long mid-west winter.

It’s time to get the rakes out of the garage and make an afternoon of cleaning the yard and battening hatches.

I stored all the clay pots, put away the patio furniture, hung the bikes and cut all the annual plants to the ground.

Weekend warriors with leaf blowers strapped to their backs give each other the knowing salute of someone who has surrendered to the whims of nature.

This house is the house I drew in art class as a little girl. The meandering stone walkway, which I built in the spring, is just as I had always imagined my walkway would be, someday.

After a day of bagging and hauling leaves it was time for dinner.

Only a veggie pizza from the neighborhood pizza joint would do. A nice malbec and a seat under the stars was the perfect way to end the day.