Release

We've had an unusual summer and fall this year. By August the drought was so severe that many in my neighborhood just gave up watering their lawns. Keeping them green was a battle that just couldn't be won. The best that we thought we could hope for was a heavy snow this winter to bring back a green spring next year. But in September the rains came and more came in October. Something like 14 out of the first 16 days in October had measurable rainfall. I think I've heard that it's the third wettest fall on record.
What that meant for our autumnal parade of trees was minimal color (the trees need moisture all summer to produce their fall brilliance) with a trade-off of longer than normal "hang time" for the leaves. That is, no one has been raking much yet.
We had our first real freeze last night...approximately 20 days later than normal...and I walked outside this morning to hear an unusual sound. I stood under a maple tree and watched the tree release all of the yellow leaves that it had been hanging onto until the cold came. I was literally in the midst of a shower of gold. And the sound? Up and down the street was the gentle dry whisper of all of our neighborhood trees letting go.