SEPTEMBERING

Suddenly it's fall. The last roses are blooming, as expected.


But wait! The autumn anemones -- always a sign of September -- are already past their prime.




In fact, it's not yet Labor Day, and we seem to be missing the gentle, seasonal decline that I remember. Tropical storm Irene (as she was in our neighborhood) pulled leaves and branches from the trees last week, and the maples' few remaining, stressed leaves are turning rusty brown.



Now it looks as though Hurricane Katia will make landfall this week. Folks in North Carolina, where my mother witnessed her first-ever hurricane last week and went four days without power or phone, may have another dousing in their future -- to say nothing of the millions in the mid-Atlantic and New England states, which are still reeling from Irene's damage.

Meanwhile, Lee is drenching New Orleans, and spawning tornado and flood warnings in the south.   The weather seems to be climbing on the bandwagon to join all the other disasters our weary world is experiencing. . .