It is definitelly fall!

Yesterday, stepping out of the car, I noticed it was very quiet around. We live by the forest edge, and all summer long, day and night, there was a never ending concerto of bugs and birds. Sometimes the "music" was louder than the hum coming from the highway during a rush hour.
And yesterday I realized that the concerto was over. No whistling, no squeaking, no movement - everything was at a stand still! Some trees lost all their leaves already, some are in the peak of their fall beauty, showing the variety of colors from green to red. It seemed somebody decided to stop life for a moment and study this little corner of the world thoroughly, with no rush. So he clicked his fingers and the life numbed.
If this seems to be a sad scene to observe, I haven't yet mentioned one really important detail: everything was lit by a mild, tender evening sunshine. Sunshine complemented the yellows and reds and made everything just very ripely beautiful.
I find it very interesting that both Asian culture and Jewish religion celebrate really big holidays at this time of the year - the Moon Festival, Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (The day of Atonement). I wish Christianity had a big holiday at this beautiful time as well. There is some culture and religion envy (the white one) I am experiencing! :)
BUT, Halloween with its overwhelming orangeness is just around the corner, as well as my most favorite American holiday - Thanksgiving! I like anticipation of a holiday as much as the holiday itself, so I am already enjoying them both.