it's a gloomy morning. heavy gray clouds are low on the lake. we stumbled along, edgar and i. layers of sweaters making me bulky, although it's not at all cold. the sweaters were for comfort, i guess, rather than warmth. but my favorite part of our wander, was coming in our gate. our yard was pungent and incense-y. last night i sort of started a fire. one of the super dry logs my father brought in the summer for the outdoor fireplace, a pizza box and a newspaper. i didn't have time to nurse it so i threw them all together with a few matches and hoped for a little glow of a fire. it didn't ever really catch, but apparently it smoldered away all night, as my fires often do. and this morning our yard is like a perfectly baked pie filling the day with it's warm and smoky fall-like flavors.

last night was lovely. we swayed on the porch swing in our own glowy little world. tom kept nursing our fire with little sticks, keeping it alive despite the rain soaked wood we were using. clouds of smoke kept the mosquitoes away. edgar kept his eye on everything from his bed beside us. and the cats were off on little hunts in the grass. chasing each other and whatever else they set their sights on. floyd kept dashing up trees just for the fun of it. and running back down again just as quickly. he's almost like a squirrel. when it grew dark, tom turned the stars on.....the lights in the porch ceiling that still make me a little giddy with happiness after 11 years. it was a good night. and this morning when i let edgar out the kitchen door into the yard, the damp, rainy morning air still smelled smoky.