Fall is my favorite season. The color just explodes from the branches, and the heat -unnecessary for so many months – smells so very good coming out of the vents. (Side note: why do people resist turning on the heat or using their air conditioning?? What’s with the odd sense of pride behind It got down to 58 in the living room and Little Rodney had to put on three sweaters, but we still didn’t cave and turn on the heat! ? Admittedly I could be wrong here, but I’m pretty sure that heat and air conditioning were invented to help make us comfortable. Same way I’ll turn on the A/C the instant I begin to sweat, once we get out of bed in the morning and wonder if we’ll make it to the bathroom without developing frostbite, it’s time to warm things up. That whole Spartan thing doesn’t really work for me.

Come to think of it, history kind of failed the Spartans, too. THERE IS NO SHAME IN TURNING ON THE HEAT, people. Go ahead. Press that button. It will all be okay.)

Fall means the return of fires after dinner and leaf piles big enough to dive in (even if you’re nearing forty. Not that I’d know). Starbucks takes mercy on us and brings back Pumpkin Spice lattes and the greatest potable creation of all time, the Salted Caramel Mocha.  I collect pumpkins the way some people collect stamps (do people still collect stamps? If not, this is a really poor metaphor; let’s just say that a dozen pumpkins are simply not enough), and fall allows me to indulge my collection. Entire Pinterest pages are devoted to possible carving creations, and the time searching for those pins is not wasted, my friends.

Apples always taste better when they’ve come straight from the orchard. Especially if they’re from the trees in our own yard and you’re one of our dogs; then, the apples are downright irresistible.

Fall brings Halloween, which means the start of decoration season. The girls now squeal with delight when the enormous bins are brought up from the basement. I swear, I did not ask them to do this; they simply love decorating as much as I do. Actually, it can get a little scary: they remember exactly where the jack-o-lantern candlesticks go, and if I even consider changing the location of the little “The Witch is In” placard, they will cut me.

The first true frosts are upon us (ours was last night), creating spiderwebs of icy delight in the mornings, and making it no longer necessary to don rain boots in order to protect gym sneakers on the walk to school.

We know that the chilly temperatures mean Thanksgiving will soon be upon us, and then December, the most highly anticipated month of them all.

Fall brings cinnamon and cider. It brings pumpkin donuts and the hint of snowflakes. It brings crafts and leaf collecting. It brings cocoa and cookies. It brings baseball playoffs and football weekends. It brings new gloves and hats and warming up the car in the mornings. It brings wonder. It brings promise. It brings hope.

It also brings a crapload of candy. THE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS ARE MINE.
All mine.

When Nick was out of town, I’d pass the evenings by interviewing the girls. And having a glass of wine. But not at the same time… usually.
Ella’s two years and ten months here. No, she wasn’t hoarse. Her voice was just that awesome.