Autumn displays

Autumn is my favorite time of year for alot of reasons. I love walking around neighbourhoods of grand old houses watching the leaves gently float to the ground, and then the crunching sound they make under my foot. I wish people were'nt so particular about raking them away too soon. I especially love those really windy days, where whirlwinds of orange and red leaves swirl through the air, or really sunny days, the way the sunlight can make a maple tree look like a work of art. I remember as a child, piling leaves into a great mountain next to the porch and then taking turns with my brothers and sisters, joyfully jumping into the centre of the pile. What fun! I even have a photo of me as a baby sitting in a pile of maple leaves, I think that's when my affection must have begun.
It's almost midmonth now, and fall is in it's glory, and it will all be over much too soon. I want this moment to last longer like winter does. It would be so nice if it was reversed and we had a short winter and a long fall. How I wish......