The Wild Hurricane Flies

The last couple of days the same phrase keeps going through my head. "As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly..."  Now I know this comes from the treasured story The Night Before Christmas,  but this phrase holds so true to me now.

The crazy record low barometric readings that we have experienced the last couple of days have given us something like a fall hurricane.  It has whirled dry leaves into small funnels and all but stripped the remaining leaves from the branches.  Now, if you look to the farmers almanac for guidance, you will see that we're in for a bit of a winter that can begin as soon as early November.  As this system has been swirling our dry leaves, it is bringing in much colder air and the forecast has now changed to include some rain.  I was surprised to see the illustration on the weather channel that tomorrow we'll have rain and maybe a few snow flurries in the early morning.  Better get the garlic and shallots planted, post haste!

I've always been enamored with weather.  I love each of the seasons, yet fall is my favorite.  The last couple of days, as I have been blown down the street, it has felt as if I am being pulled by a large, enthusiastic dog on a leash.   Yet, this evening as I sit, thankful to have power tonight, I hear the gusts ravage around us and still feel the fairy-tale like sentiment of the dry leaves that are flying in our wild hurricane.