fall

i miss the beauty of the changing trees and the coolness in the air. i miss the pumpkin coffee and the halloween decorations. i miss the hayrides. i miss buying spicy mums and the perfect gourds with my son. i miss cider, both mulled and apple. i miss piles of leaves and halloween parades and trick-or-treating and halloween candy. i miss plotting costumes, the party and parade at school. i miss the annual  boback party. i miss long walks with the dogs and the crunching of the leaves beneath our feet. i miss the geese flying south. i miss soccer games in the twilight, bundled in blankets, hats and gloves. i miss my warm mug while waiting for the school bus. i miss making silly jack 'o lanterns and switching out my sandals with boots. i miss the lengthening shadows and the sunlight that no longer warms. i miss the reemergence of the deer on back roads and putting the garden to bed for the winter. i miss soups and chili and the last of the grilling. i miss sweaters and and the smell of fire pits and chimneys. i miss the changing of the cows from the fields to the barns. i miss ruddy cheeks after playing outside. i miss it all, the fleeting of fall, the respite from summer, the glory before winter.