Catching Leaves

A colleague at work told me about a ritual her sister used to do - trying to catch leaves as they fall.
I tried it today watching the desent of a rusted oak leaf, trying to predict it's final course. Failing.
The trees are undressed, mostly now...the forest bare to the eye. We can see just how the beaver pond has expanded.
This time of year, I mourn the passing of summer.

Nor'easter

Friday...rain, slashing snow...wind all day long. Water spills over the beaver dam through the forest, down banks. 3.5 inches of wet.

Tropical Storm

Remants of a tropical storm and coldfront mingled to form the perfect storm dropping over 22 inches of rain in North Carolina and 5 or so inches in parts of New Hampshire.
The wetlands here and the new pond the beavers made absorbed a lot of the water. The rock in the middle of Beatitude Pond that we saw all summer has now disppeared from view. The muddy waters are clear and one can look down and see brightly colored leaves caught, as it in plastic.
Today some wind remains, but the day is sunny and bright - calm after the storm.