For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Folliot S. Pierpoint (1864)

I absolutely love this time of the year! The “fall colors” may not be quite so spectacular as some of our best (check this post for 2021 autumn colors), but it just feels so good to be outside. Breathing in the crisp refreshing air when I walk Max; the sense of relief from the long summer heat; I even enjoy the work of raking leaves and pine-straw – even though it sometimes seems an exercise in futility!

Yesterday afternoon I paused from the task of picking up the pine cones and small branches that accumulated while we were away, and looked across at the house next door. The sign out front is gone now because, last week, everything finally fell into place for the closing.

I am so happy that one more major piece of “settling the estate” is complete. So thankful for the stellar work and the tenacity of our realtor, John Akerman. So amazed at the scope of the epic paper-chase created when my mother passed away right in the middle of the process. So dumfounded by the inflexibility and obduracy of some of the paper-pushers. And at the same time so pleased by the willingness of so many to – instead – work as dance partners rather than tripping hazards!

So there it is. Next door. Still empty but alive with possibility for when the new owners move in.

This is a great cul-de-sac to live in. And by the way, if you need a few leaves for any purpose, we have probably somewhere in the hundreds of millions on hand.

Love and blessings – DEREK

PS – stay tuned later in the day for the next set of photos in “the cruise series.”