With just a hint of Autumn...

It is late as I finish catching up on this past season's "The Killing" while keeping an eye on the Sox-Yanks score on my iPhone.

The windows are open in the kitchen and I can hear the handful of dried leaves as they scrape their way along on the concrete patio outside. Sitting in my living room, I can feel the breeze that coincides with the raspy sound.

It sounds like an early October in Boston where I lived for so many years. There, the house was off of a pond and several of the homes had working fireplaces - a smell I love. When a good breeze struck any of the many trees that appeared as if on fire, any of the leaves void of moisture would make a valiant attempt to cling on. The resulting sound was like that of a giant toy rattle.

When Fall was well underway, there were times I took the B Line train to the terminus at Boston College just so I could make the walk down Lake St. to my home. During those cool and dusky early evening strolls, I would take in the sounds and smells of a New England autumn.

Now, in Brooklyn, I await my 47th autumn with an odd anticipation. Odd? Regular season baseball is winding down (Red Sox victorious over the Yankees 9-8 in 10 innings!) and Yankee fans are nervous. Odd? Some air conditioners are still running; I can only assume poor room air circulation as the reason. Odd? A curiously contentious mayoral race.

Basta!

I love this time of the year even if I don't have the scent of burning wood in the air and as many trees as I used to have. Even if I'm not in New England proper.

And maybe it's time for me to resurrect that fire pit project...