'Slow down, you move too fast ...'

Driving home today, I spotted a maple tree that had turned almost completely red. Already.

I know summer is winding down, but this tree is clearly an overachiever trying to get the jump on all the other maples. Showoff.

September is when those of us who call upstate New York home get to savor the changing colors of the leaves (followed by six months of bare branches). And savoring those changes is what I intend to do.

So please, trees, take your time. Autumn will find us soon enough.