Seen as I was leaving work last night.

This is the changing quality of light that people talk about in northern climes. At least some of what they mean. The light slants from a lower place in the sky as the Earth’s tilt positions us farther away from the sun. There’s less moisture in the air to refract the light, and a different color palette in nature (trees, flowers, grass) to filter and reflect it.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The air may be cool and crisp, but the light becomes warm and soft.

When my daughters were young, a picture book we checked out of the public library faithfully every fall was When Will the Snow Trees Grow, by Ben Shecter. Such a sweet, gentle story of a boy and his bear friend doing autumn chores to prepare for winter in what looks like rural New England. My girls tracked down a copy a couple years ago and gave it to me as a Christmas present.

I think it’s about time for me to warm up some cider, wrap myself in a quilt near the fire, and lose myself in this book’s enchantment once again.