Fall Colors

Weather this year is certainly giving us a run for our money. Huge temperature swings, hurricanes that did not bring much rain, tropical storms that inundated the area with record-breaking rainfall and flooding – it happened. Insane, right?

Enter in the latest phenomena – COLD. Winter seems to have gotten here much earlier this year. Jim and I went to Shenandoah National Park a few (several?) weekends ago and man, it was chilly. And I was amazed that, on the day the park was supposed to be at peak-leaf-color, most of the trees were just on that downside of color – you know, when the leaves turn brown and have not yet fallen off the trees? Please don’t get me wrong, the day we went was definitely splendid and the views were gorgeous, but I have to admit that I was a little sad to not see the varying oranges, and reds, and yellows mixed with the greens of the pines and later-coloring trees across the entire Skyline Drive we drove. While the brown and green was pretty, there were a lot of browns.

I blame the cold. And the insane rain we had in late summer. The rain that destroyed my beautiful upcoming tomato harvest. And the cold that destroyed my as-yet-to-be-picked-to-be-made-into-pesto wondrous basil harvest. The cold and rain ROBBED me of my produce and herbs, and beautiful fall colors this year.

But, even in my flailing, I have to be honest and admit that because Jim and I suspected the peak-color-no-color issue and how we like to avoid people (when we’re in the woods), we decided to head farther south to pick up Skyline drive - the trees there were superb and FULL of glory.

Maybe there is hope for some more color this fall. The neighborhood trees, while certainly confused, have started to change colors now – well, those that still have leaves. Like the maple in our front yard. Last year it went from drab brown to peach and salmon colors. This year it is starting to change from green to red. Guess we will have to see what happens…