Yolande

I love fall!

I love it in that nostalgic, feeling-of-home sort of way. The minute the weather starts to turn and the temperature starts falling I immediately get this warm, fuzzy, emotional feeling. My mind turns to the fall menu that I revisit every year; pumpkin bread, apple crumble, squash and apple soup, oatmeal cookies, chicken and dumplings, chili and cornbread, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, pot roast, turkey and cranberries, mashed potatoes, to name a few. Some people gain their weight at Christmas, but for me, it is the bounty of the fall harvest that gets me every time.

The Husband makes fun of me because I cook on a seasonal rotation. As we were standing on our back porch the other day, enjoying the evening crispness of late summer, he says to me, "So, now that summer is almost over, tell me again what food will I get to see that I haven't seen in 9 months?" I smacked him in the arm, pretending to be annoyed, but I was smiling inside. Smiling that he knew me so well. Smiling at his good-natured teasing. And smiling because I really, really love fall.

I love the coolness and the crispness. I love the crunch of leaves on the ground and the rustle of dried leaves yet to loose themselves from the trees. I love the smells that linger in the air. Smells of apples and cinnamon. Smells from the smoke of the first lit fires of the season hanging in the air. I love the jeans and sweaters being pulled out of storage and the emergence of scarves around necks and hats on heads. I love the start of school with its sounds of laughing children that invade my kitchen (we live right behind Snowflake's elementary school). But, most of all I love the promise of weeks and weeks on end of holiday festivities.

In our circle of friends and family we are fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, depending on how behind I am on shopping) to have 6 birthdays for immediate family members within 8 weeks. In between that we have Halloween, then after the run of birthdays we have Thanksgiving, Snowflake's birthday and then Christmas. Fall is a very, very busy season in our household. Despite the inherent stress of shopping, there is an overriding feeling of festivity that starts with the warm days of early September and doesn't end until the day after Christmas. It is one of the reasons I love the season SO much.

So, as I am basking in the cooler nights, enjoying the warmth of a bowl of chicken and dumplings and a steaming mug of hot apple cider and planning my sweet Starman's first birthday party, I find my writing to be one of the furthest things from my mind. And so, rather than let it suffer from neglect, I thought instead I would share my joy, my happiness and my contentedness in the season of friends and family. And just know, that in my little corner of the world, when the jingle bells start ringing in mid-October, this quirky lady not only doesn't object, but is most likely humming along.

Happy Fall Y'all!