I'm here in Branford, Connecticut, on the shoreline of Long Island Sound. Hi, Ralph and DWDitty, whoever you are. Yay, Connecticut!

It's a beautiful, sunny day, a little breezy, and unseasonably warm for this time of year (72 F). The foliage is spectacular, lots of reds and yellows and oranges on the maples and oaks and beech trees, but it's not peak color yet in this part of Southern New England. It's so warm that there are swarms of ladybugs on every window and even one crazy bloom on a confused azalea. The forsythia thinks it's Spring and has little yellow blossoms along with the reddish-turning leaves. I have pumpkins and potted mums on my front porch, and roses still blooming in the back yard. And the lawn is beginning to pile up with fallen leaves.

Thanks for asking, Shambles. It's really interesting to hear from people around the world, and I feel like I know many of you by your words. We all have this Mudcat neighborhood in common.

We had a "hoot" at our house this past Friday, and spent Saturday showing some overnight guests from R.I. around the area, so no house chores got done at all yet. The music was fine, and wouldn't it be nice to play today, too.

O.K. my break is over. Back to the weeds and the leaves in the yard, although the fiddle and guitar are calling me.