The aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina will be felt long after clean up efforts are over. Exactly how the hurricane will change America is yet to be seen. Weekend America put the question of Katrina's impact to a cross section of Americans to see what changes, if any, will spring from the disaster.

We want to hear from you: In what ways will Katrina change America? Post your thoughts below.

How hard is it for some of us to get beyond the color lines in the aftermath of Katrina? ... Last time I checked, Katrina was a natural disaster. The city, the state and the Fed Gov failed the people, the poor people: blacks, whites, brown,yellow... The majority of them: blacks. Period.

I can tell fall is soon to arrive by watching my horses' coat. Around mid to late August when the days are just beginning to be noticeably shorter my AQHA Palominos' coat starts to turn from a deep brown to a lighter brown shade. As the days get shorter this is followed about a month later, say mid September, by the start of shedding and the growth of a longer and lighter colored coat. In my research of this phenomenon I have found that horses prepare for winter when the days start getting shorter. They shed their summer coats and grow thicker, longer, and more coarse hair to protect them from the winter weather. This hair can often be a different shade as I see in my Palomino, Doc.
Pretty cool!!!

Sure. The dill has flourished, seeded and seeds are sprouting...some 9 months early.

The spiders are coming inside so the weather is changing. The male deer have their antlers without velvet. They started pushing each other but no real fighting. The skunks are looking like fat cats about 20 pounds each. Apple harvest time. The deer are liking what falls from the trees. Baby deer are still with their mothers but I've seen one with the start of two little antler bumps.Had the first rain storm last week lots of thunder and lightning. The place smelled so fresh the day after it rained. Little blades of grass are starting to poke out of the dirt. The peaches are looking good enough to eat but soon they aren't ready. Blackberry's are looking dried up. Some of them are still good but we had a hot summer. I think we are going to have another hard winter like last year. Can't wait till spring to start trimming the apple trees for next year. Still have a lot to do before the rains come. Have some trees to cut down and some trenches to finish. Would I ever move back to the city, no way.

With regard to your request for unusual signs of autumn - things happening out of normal season or sequence: Here in Minnesota, you have to remember that there is no such thing as a normal fall. I am old enough to remember one Halloween when it was 83 degrees, and another where it snowed for two days straight and the temperature dipped below zero immediately afterward. Today (Saturday, Oct. 1) it was a beautiful summery day. The temperature got up to 83 degrees, and tomorrow is supposed to be nearly as nice. Still, there is a cold front moving in from the west, and no one in the Twin Cities would be even mildly surprised to see snow by midweek. Where fall is concerned, normal, for us, is a constant roller coaster ride of unpredictable weather, with beatiful fall colors one day and the trees blasted bare the next. The only truly unusual autumn we could have is one that kept to the averages - gradually cooling, fall colors coming and going at predicted times,etc. - and I don't know that I've ever seen one like that here.
I enjoy your program here in the Twin Cities on KNOW FM.
Dave

I am looking for the area to tell my story about Winds of Change. My story is called "MY FALLEN FALL" Hurricane Rita destroyed my SouthEast Texas paradise and most of the tree sanctuary located in the Big Thicket where my home is located on Village Creek, north of Lumberton. I now live in the Pacific Northwest, but always spend my winters at my home in Texas. But next week when I return I will be chainsawing my way back into the woods, instead of walking the beautiful lane lined with azalea bushes 10 feet tall, pine trees full of scampering squirrels and woodpeckers preparing for the fall with nuts and treats hidden among the branches. The magnolia blossom pods are such a treasure to collect from the ground and make garlands for my Christmas tree. But they have been destroyed by tornadoes, hurricane force winds, fallen pine,cypress and oak trees. The old pine tree by the kitchen with all the handcarved mileage signs to faraway places where family vacations were enjoyed now rests on the rooftop of my little cabin. The 60 foot tall pine next to our bedroom fell and sliced our cabin in half. The contents of our love shack are now spilled all over the damp, dark woods. Antique quilts, grandmas rocker and my old record albums crushed to shreds of vinyl.I wonder if the tree that was mount for our outdoor shower is still standing? The beech tree was my favorite. The leaves that once travelled from lime green to lemon yellow to golden rust were the last to fall, yet the first to bloom in the spring. It was the tree that suspended the famous Taylor rope swing for young and old to swing away their lazy afternoons in the sunshine.My nephews would fight and stand in line for their turn. The adults required alot of coaxing and maybe half a beer to take the plunge over the slope on that rope swing. For a moment you could fly with bird-like freedom. We hosted art retreats, BBQs, crawfish boils, weddings, family reunions and graduations. It is the place where I met my husband and we eventually married on that sandbar in front of the home.It was a place of refuge and healing for many of our friends. But now, I will return to a pile of memories, broken trees and hearts.
My fall has fallen to the ground after the wrath of Rita.