I spent today outside raking leaves and thinking about the season of autumn.  With a sunny and unseasonably warm day it was delightful to be outside.  And yet I was raking up a yard-full of dry and brittle leaves which have left our trees as skeletons in the landscape.  I was sad that the brilliant colors of fall were now behind us, and I was missing the constant chatter of the geese as they would fly over our house throughout the summer.  And yet I was appreciative of this warm and sunny day, and of the smell of fall that was evident in the air. 

We were in western Minnesota yesterday when this image was taken.  The high clouds created their own patterns in the sky, allowing the sun to filter through at certain angles.  As we drove through this prairie landscape, I was amazed at the fall beauty.  Here in the small town of Cyrus was a small slough with cattails and some trees — a very common sight.  And yet when the sun cut through some of the clouds it brought a most brilliant shimmer and light to the surface of the water.  It’s a common sight in Minnesota, and yet one that I will never grow tired of seeing.