Autumn...At Last!

I was in a bad mood most of the weekend, which was a shame because "autumn" had finally arrived and I wasn't in much of a mood to appreciate it.  I'm having big personnel problems at work, I've got to complete a major grant application in the next two weeks for a project that my heart's not in, I've got to deal with a proposed capital project that once was my "darling" but has transmogrified into a monster, and I'm scheduled for surgery in two weeks.  Plus, Kali wants to re-upholster two living room couches and we don't agree on new fabric.  We spent most of Saturday looking at upholstery fabric in stores on "Fabric Row" in central Philadelphia, which consumed most of that day.  On Sunday morning, I proposed to Kali that we hike at a state park about 1-1/4 hours away that we haven't visited in several years; she said that she didn't want to drive that far (that was a legitimate and understandable response), but when I pressed her for what she would rather do instead, she gave me her standard answer: "I don't know."  That reply drives me crazy, so I just went out into the back yard to rake leaves until she decided what she wanted to do.  About an hour later, she proposed that we walk a long route in "my" preserve, to which I agreed.  After lunch, we walked about four miles on trails that we don't frequent regularly; most of the walk was in silence, though, because I was still seething.  I don't know how Kali puts up with me.

A glowing candle in an otherwise dark wood

`

This sycamore along the creek had lost most of its upper leaves, but I liked the contrast in tones

Wineberry (Rubus phoenocolasius) backlit

Sweetgums ablaze on the floodplain