Boston. Gorgeous fall days this week, crisp air, blue, blue, blue skies, the leaves turning a bit later than usual this year because of the damp summer (which, we are told, will bring brighter colors than usual--last summer's drought made for a fast and drably-colored season).

Last night was COLD; first frost for many in southern New England.

My favorite time of day in Autumn is between four PM and 6 pm; the quality of the light, the smell of slow decay and changes in the plants and soil, nuts and fruits ripening and falling, the constant rush of deja vu brought on by whatever it is that fall does to us...have others experienced this?

Tomorrow I spend the morning in a nearby apple orchard with a friend. We will take a magical autumnal wander and avoid the apple pickers and their kids for as long as we can; then we will become apple pickers (and kids) ourselves...then buy treats in the farm stand attached to the orchards, along with freshly-made cider donuts. YUM!

These orchards, some of the largest old ones in the state, were nearly sold to developers two years ago. The town of Peabody bought them, thank goodness. They are a favorite setting not just for apple harvest but for weddings and such at apple blossom time...I sang at one such ceremony last May and it was absolutely beautiful.

Many of the old orchards of New England are being razed because the apple market is dropping out due to cheaper imports from China. Growers who used to get a decent price on drop apples for cider and juice now cannot compete with China's prices. So there are fewer old orchards (which require more upkeep) and lots of those newfangled dwarf trees which produce more apples per square foot...