The delights of temporary depopulation

  Aug. 5,  2014

A mild and humid early morning.  Shafts of sunlight glow through the haze. The streets   are bordered,  and in some stretches topped, by a great lushness,  except that  some leaves in the trees are starting to wilt and fall off because of summer fatigue.  I wonder how late  most of the leaves will stay on  their trees this fall, which some forecasters say will be warmer than average. Indian summer until well into December?

The best thing about walking in the  early morning, besides the freshness of the air, is the absence of people -- that near-constant source of trouble and weariness. If only we could all live  from time to time in a cabin at Walden Pond, of course with such nearby friends  as the Emersons to mooch off .