It is definitely fall here in western North Carolina.  The past few nights have brought frost and the arctic blast that is chilling bones in the midwest is on its way to our little corner of the world.  This photo was taken two weeks ago up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  No doubt it has already changed significantly.  Leaves are falling all around reminding us of the impermanence of life but also its renewal. They lay thick on the forest floor, making a rich mulch for the life that lays beneath the surface, waiting for the light to make its winter passage and return again in the spring. ☙