Autumn

Finally!  According to the calendar fall is here. . .not sure about you but for me that kicks off the beginning of my favorite time of the year – from here to the end of it.  So actually fall and winter for me are the best.  From the first day of fall to the last day of the year I am ecstatic.

Hello, gorgeous.

Why?

WEATHER.  Oh let’s start with cooler weather.  BAM!  Hoodie weather.  Love my hoodies.  The cool crisp air feels good in the chest.  The cool breezes that give just that little chill that makes me burrow deeper into my hoodie.

BUGS.  As in NONE!  Yeah, not afraid of them, just tired of them being up in my face all summer long.  Because trust me I am the first one who will catch bugs in my house and turn them loose outside instead of killing them. 

TREES.  I love to see the leaves change in autumn.  Living in the mountains I get that privilege in spades.  The explosion of gold, red, yellow and russet leaves falling into the edge of the horse fields turns the green grasses into a particolored display.

HORSES.  The cooler weather is ideal horse weather.  Now yes anytime is a good time to ride, but the fall and into the early winter is the best.  The weather is perfect – not too hot, not too cold and the horses can just go all day long.  Riding in the first early snowfall is where it’s at.  Just as the snow starts to fall the horses sense the serenity that comes with it and as you ride in simple silence there is no better peace for the soul.

HARVEST.  I am relatively decent backyard gardener and I make everything I can, from tomato sauce to pepper relish, pickles, soups – you get the picture.  I dry, can, and I freeze everything I grow.  There is great satisfaction in eating the foods you have made from seed to harvest.

PUMPKINS.  Everywhere, just everywhere.  And in everything.  (I am a coffee drinker and love some seasonal pumpkin spice creamer in my coffee.) Pumpkins are the best single decoration for the entire tail end of the year.  They go with everything!  Pair them up with homegrown Indian maize for decoration.  And when ready make pumpkin pie and multicolored popcorn – the best desert and snack ever!

FROST.  The anticipation of waking up to that first sunrise of frost, which turns the world into a glittering realm makes me check out the window first thing when I get up.  Guaranteed to put an impish grin on my face!

WINTER.  And that of course leads to the thrill of the first snowfall that every school age child dreams of.  I am far from school age anymore, but I am just as excited as the neighborhood kids when I see all that white stuff falling from the sky.  Even simple flurries can just keep me grinning like the Cheshire Cat!

Then of course there are the big three:

Halloween.

Thanksgiving.

Christmas.

No need to extrapolate here!  Yes I love them all.  Yes I decorate for them all.  Yes I am that raging fanatic that has 40 storage crates of decorations – EACH!

What can I say?  At least I admit it.  I’m in full blown holiday mode from beginning to end.  And I absolutely love it!

Autumn is where it’s at.  It is a gateway we all get to step through every year. It is a return to childhood and simple make believe if you want it to be.  You just have to believe.

 -- Rya