Autumn Leaves of Red and Gold

I love autumn in Ohio.  Warm, sunny days with cool, crisp nights make the hardwood trees turn such beautiful colors.  I have been a lot of places in the United States and the leaves in fall in Ohio are as beautiful as any other state.  As pretty as the Smoky Mountains, New England, or Colorado.

The autumn leaves or red and gold have made my morning walks spectacular.  I take picture after picture of the leaves.  None of them ever lives up to the beauty I can see with my eyes, but I take the pictures anyway.  I want to remember how gorgeous the leaves are when they are gone with the cold winds of November.

There is an old song recorded by Nat King Cole called “Autumn Leaves.”  I always think of it when I see the leaves drifting down.  Eric Clapton also recorded the song in a slightly jazzier version.  The song is really short, but the lyrics are simply these:

The falling leaves drift by the window,The autumn leaves of red and gold.I see your lips, the summer kisses,The sun-burned hands I used to hold.
Since you went away the days grow longAnd soon I’ll hear old winter’s song.But I miss you most of all my darlingWhen autumn leaves start to fall.
Autumn is a melancholy time.  It signals the end of the warmth of summer and the beginning of the frigid winter to come.  But autumn also has lots of joys:  a return to school, football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the beauty of the autumn leaves.
Now, if only the leaves would magically disappear from my yard.