AUTUMN LEAVES.

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the sight of all the trees turning red and gold, the smell of the rich, damp scent of the earth, and the feel of the misty drizzle that falls at this time of year. Sometimes, a fog settles over the land, too, which is always a little spooky and makes me think of Gothic novels and English moors.

I like to celebrate autumn's arrival by lighting a fire in our fireplace on Halloween. My husband, John, also adores wood-burning fireplaces, especially, so we really enjoyed sitting together before our fire this year---in between trips to the front door to dispense candy to all the little trick-or-treaters.

Halloween and its traditions originated with the Celtic celebration of Samhain, which marked the Celtic New Year, for the Celts believed that darkness (autumn/winter) precedes light (spring/summer). For me, this week also marked some new beginnings.

As some of you may know, I suffer from fibromyalgia, which is a disease currently believed to attack the central nervous system. It causes widespread musculoskeltal pain and fatigue on a daily basis. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, and standard treatments are often ineffective. But fortunately, research into the disease is being undertaken on a number of different fronts, and new drugs are being developed. One of these recently came onto the market, and after a visit to my rheumatologist this week, I'm now giving it a try. It's too soon yet to know whether it will help, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This year, of course, November 2nd also marked a new beginning---not just for me, but for all of us. I've voted in every single presidential election since I was old enough to vote, and this year was no exception. It was, however, fascinating to hear from John (who is a British citizen) all the differences between the American and British election processes. From an Australian colleague, I also learned for the first time that voting is actually compulsory in Australia, which I found very interesting.

This week was also my time for autumn cleaning---although I'm not certain how much good it has done! We have a gorgeous, wonderful Long-haired German Shepherd, who doesn't understand that he's supposed to wipe his paws on the doormat before coming inside. *g* So he tracks in wet leaves constantly, and while I enjoy them outside, I don't think they look nearly as good on my newly vacuumed floors!