Our lovely summer/autumn weather is about to change a bit.  We've had it really great for the past two weeks.  The last time I recorded any appreciable precipitation was on October 10th.  I had .85 in my measuring tube - and that was a two-day accumulation.  I remember that was when the foliage seemed to suddenly come alive.  Now it's very dry again.  There are brush and forest fires in the news, and the rain will help keep those down.  With the leaves mostly on the ground now, the danger of fires getting started is very real.
     The wind has finished off lots of the leaves, but there are still a few trees that have held on.  This one is along our driveway and I took the picture on Sunday.  There are I think seven different kinds of maple trees along our driveway, and each one turned differently this fall.  Some are completely bare, one or two still have leaves, but the wind tomorrow, along with heavy rain, will no doubt strip them. 
     We went to West Danville this afternoon - I needed more glazing compound to finish re-puttying the windows in the garage.  It's been just the right temperature yesterday and today to work on it.  I'll still need to paint it after the putty has cured a few days, so I'm hoping we get another fairly warm spell.  I really like doing that job - I seldom have to do it - most of our windows are updated now.  But it's one of those jobs that takes a little time to "get the hang of it," and it is more difficult if you don't take the window out so you can work on it flat.  I didn't bother to do that, and of course gravity worked against me.  About the time I was smoothing out the last bead with my putty knife, I was getting pretty good at it, though.  Now if I can keep a steady hand to lay the paint on . . . it takes practice, so I get better by the end of the job and look back at the beginning and wish I could start over.  But that's ok - it's just the garage, for Pete's sake.  I don't have to look at it every day, and at least the glass is secure and water isn't rotting the sash.
     Tomorrow I guess we'll put away the deck furniture.  If there's going to be a lot of wind, no need to have those chairs moving around.  It's time.  It won't be long before we get our first snow of the season.  Fred is getting our snow tires on next week - we'll be ready.