Mid-fall in Chisinau

I always love fall, and I am falling for fall in Chisinau!

It has been wet and cool and crisp and delightful.

Also, the low sunlight coming through my bedroom window in the morning is divine (that is what I try to remind myself when the sun sets at 4:30 and makes me sad!): 

We are a long ways from the beginning of fall, when leaves had just begun to flutter down and wash up on the shores of sidewalks and curbs. Now, the leaves are almost all down, and have settled in as temporary cement, filling in the potholes and cracks in the sidewalk. 

On days when the kids were sick this last week (meaning I was stuck inside A LOT), I would make an excuse to go to the store for something, and Jesse would insist that I not rush while I was out. What followed was several leisurely walks, basking in the light coming through the barren branches. The lack of foliage this time of year always feels like a revelation to me, literally--I can suddenly see further than I could before, and buildings that used to be obscured by trees are now visible. 

One of those days, the Moldovan flag on our street looked really lovely: 

And it's hard for me to get over how beautiful I find the colors of fall: rich oranges, reds, yellows and browns that make the world seem like it's full of golden light at any time of day. 

I sat in my bedroom window the other week and painted the trees out in our courtyard. I meant to take a photo for this post but forgot (I will try to remember to soon), though I don't think it was terribly good. What was most delightful was mixing the right watercolors for the job--taking time to observe and mix just the right shade of golden brown for this tree, and noticing that the tree next to it was a slightly brighter shade. It was really soothing to spend so much time noticing and appreciating the fall colors, and I highly recommend it!