Yesterday was all golden light in central Maine. Today, just the opposite—gray, chilly, and rainy. Clif has started the first fire of the season in the wood furnace in our basement. (In the winter, we mostly heat our house with wood. In the fall and spring, we use either electric or propane.)
Today would have been a perfect day to make the first apple pie of autumn. Indeed, that is what I had planned to do, and I had invited our friends Judy and Paul to come share pie with us. However, along with the gray weather, we have an uninvited guest—a cold. Right now it is visiting me, and I have no doubt that it won’t be long before it visits Clif. Couples are good at sharing such things.
Therefore, this morning I called Judy to cancel our pie get-together, and I promised to reschedule when the coast was clear, so to speak. A cold is a minor illness, but why spread germs when you don’t have to?
To make up for the gray day and the cold, both inside and out, here is a picture of red dwarf snap dragons—such a plucky flower!—and a red leaf.
I am reading Gladys Taber’s The Book of Stillmeadow, and I’ll conclude with the opening passage of the October section: “The special gift of frosty gold days comes now; time to lay down the household tasks and shut the door on routine. For every October, when I see the trees over the meadow, I think, ‘I shall not look upon her like again.’ And every October is different, strange with new beauty.”
This was true nearly seventy years ago, when the book was published. And no matter the weather or where the cold is, inside or out, it is true today in New England.
At least in Maine.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Dratted colds – feel better!!
Thanks, Shannon! In fact it was a short, nasty flu rather than a cold, but I feel much better today.
I am so happy to have read your post, it was such an amazing read, one which I enjoyed very much! I have had time to check out your blog and I have to say I loved it! So keep writing so I can keep looking forward to reading your work! (:
Beautifully written passage from that book.
Thanks, Jason! I really like Gladys Taber.
Your snaps look like they are made of red velvet. Sorry about the head cold, hope you feel better soon!
Thanks, Eliza! Those snaps are still valiantly blooming. What a great flower, especially for our yard. Turns out the cold was really a nasty little flu. By last night my temp was almost 102, but today I feel better and would much prefer short and brutal over long and miserable 😉
Ooh, sounds nasty indeed. Hope you’re feeling better!
Thanks, Eliza!
Get well soon
Thanks, Derrick!
So true. Every October is a unique painting, and we’re only allowed to view it for a short while then it’s gone forever. Sometimes I reflect on fall’s beauty–each year different–and the fact that we are only around to see a few of them. Incentive to soak it in I suppose. 🙂
It’s cool here too. We aim to wait until November 1 to crank up our wood stove. Keeping our heated rice bags handy until then…
October’s golden loveliness never fails to enchant me. Yes, we should definitely soak in all that beauty. We, too, plan to wait until November before using wood to heat the house. But on cold, rainy days, we sometimes cheat. And we supplement with gas and electric heat. In Maine, those October nights can get a little frosy.