9-19-14 - “First Frost” - There is no looking back now....Mother Nature stepped up her game...her pace...yesterday morning...when she invited back one of her cronies...the well known artist and purveyor of “worse things to come”....Jack......Jack Frost. He doesn’t seem so bad now....still a bit of a thorn...”Do I need to cover my tomato plants and hanging baskets?”.....all seems worth it under the blue skies of autumn as Jack uses the hillsides as his canvas...his palette loaded with reds, oranges, yellows...his brush creating a masterpiece with every stroke...such breathtaking beauty. Beauty that is difficult for many to enjoy....to truly soak in....and give thanks for where you are and what lies before you. For some....they can’t help but look back....the laughter of children playing at the beach...the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on an outdoor fire...or freshly mowed grass...vacations....summertime fun...it is just too hard to let it go....to clear the mind and just enjoy September 20th and marvel at young Frost’s artistry. And then there are those of us that can free our minds of summer....just not the fact that Jack’s demeanor will quickly change....all this beauty only means that Jack will soon abandon his palette of colors for only white...start painting crazy, leafy, fernlike designs on our windows and windshields....as he soon becomes “Old Man Winter”...dreaded by all who lack a lift ticket or sled. The sounds of the geese flying south only increase the terror...bone chilling cold...snow shovels...icy roads...oh, so many clothes to put on and take off. So don’t be either of those types.....not today...you can’t change the past and you might not be here tomorrow. It is going to be beautiful in the Adirondacks today. Mountain friends are saying come visit. Relax....give yourself a day to live in the moment...just about every other day of the year, one could make a case for wanting to be at some other location on this great planet....but not today.....today nearly everyone on earth would love to be right here....and many of us are....a little ole place we are fortunate enough to call home! Enjoy the day....better yet...just BASK!