Fall in Minnesota

My Life of the Mississippi

Fall is a wonderful time in Minnesota.  I have great memories of earlier years when the air gets fresh again as the temperature begins to drop.  It was a time of anticipation.  The apples were ripening, school was starting, a new season was upon us which meant an entirely different set of clothes.  Later the leaves would turn and then a time for raking.  I still remember the smell of leaves burning, although that is no longer allowed.

Now, in my life on the Mississippi River in north central Minnesota (we are about 100 miles from the source of the Mississippi), even at the end of August we begin to see the signs of fall appearing.  In our yard full of oaks, we have an abundance of acorns.  The squirrels, chipmunks and mice are happy. One year there were almost no acorns, and we have an infestation of mice in houses all over the area.

An acorn cap.

It is also getting close to apple picking time in our very small orchard.

As you can probably tell I am very contented as fall comes to my life on the Mississippi.