When an early autumn walks the land
and chills the breeze
and touches with her hand
the summer trees,
perhaps you'll understand
what memories I own.

Early Autumn, lyrics by Johnny Mercer


Actually this was last autumn but that Mercer tune has been bugging me for days.

Autumn in the Smokys might well be below par this year. It was too warn this September and we have had little or no rain for two months. Yesterday near the top the Buckeyes were already brown and the birches are prematurely yellow. In the lower elevations I saw dogwoods and tulip trees going brown and losing leaves already. If we get some rain in the next few days and the weather stays cool without a freeze, there may still be hope for the middle elevations. I'm not throwing in the towel yet.