I finally had to close my windows tonight: the cold winds have started, and a little bit of rain is predicted for Friday. I went out for lunch and errands today, and it smelled like fall. Not even a half-assed temperate fall, but the actual smell, imported from New England, a kind of deep freshness that washes over everything without sticking anywhere. It's a smell of apple cider and wet leaves falling and that impossible orange light at the end of the day that makes New England what Maxwell Parrish paintings wish they could be, but aren't.

I'm pretty sure my maple trees are happier in their new pot. It's hard to tell, though, since they're deciduous and it's autumn, I'm not really expecting any new growth. But they both have fresh shoots in various places, and it's unlikely to actually freeze here, so maybe they'll keep going.

Work was better today, a bit less hectic and a bit more effective. My current projects seem to just be unending, though, with a new gotcha every day or two that requires anything from changing a line to major structural changes in the code. I'm not exactly filled with a burning enthusiasm, but I've spent my days in far worse places, so it's okay.