The first day of fall, according to the calendar, was September 23. But last week it was still in the 80’s here, which was pretty nice. Today the high will only be 70 and it’s raining too. Getting ready for work I was forced to consider my summer wardrobe. Since I could not wear capris or a summer skirt and sandals to work today, I guess today is MY first official day of fall. Don’t get me wrong, I love fall, but I also love my summer clothes.
Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I love the color of the leaves as they change and then later the distinctive smell of the leaves when they are on the ground. My son is 18 now, but I can still recall the sound of the leaves crunching under his stroller as we went for walks down the sidewalk in our old neighborhood. I remember one morning in particular after Halloween and there was candy scattered on the ground. My son was about 1 1/2 months old that day, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
I love candy apples and sipping hot apple cider and watching the steam roll off the top of the cup into the cool air. My friend Lisa and I had an annual tradition of going to the St. James Art Fair the first weekend in October. That was always a great place to get a steaming cup of cider on a crisp fall morning. We would bundle up in the morning and then by afternoon remove layers, as it would always warm up as the fair became more crowded. I love pumpkin rolls with cream cheese and pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and now even autumn or pumpkin ale. I just tried one from Blue Moon and one from Sam Adams this week. If you like cinnamon, cloves, allspice and pumpkin, you will like them. Even if you are not a big fan of beer, like me.
I also love decorating for fall, with Indian corn, pumpkins, fall leaves and my scarecrow and hay bale too. Halloween to me is the perfect holiday. Kids are involved. Heck it’s mostly about the kids. You don’t have to stress yourself out, shop, buy gifts, spend hours on decorating a tree, or overeat. The only outlay is the candy. I’ve learned to not buy bags of chocolate ahead of time as these will invariably get opened and by October 31, they are just a memory. I’ve learned to buy candy that appeals to kids more than me so I won’t be tempted as much. I am immune to Nerds, bubble gum and sour candy. I love Skittles and Starbursts as much as the next kid, but I don’t binge on those like the bag of Snickers hidden in my office. Which sadly, is almost empty. I broke my #1 rule of not breaking the seal. Doh!
One of my best fall memories has to be going to Nashville, IN (Brown County) with my mom and grandmother. We would normally go in the fall in the hopes the trees would already be turning colors. Sometimes we would spend the night. We would always eat lunch at the Artists Colony restaurant. If you’ve never been, Brown Co. is a lovely part of Indiana and there are lots of great artisans in the area for holiday shopping. This Friday we are going to Huber’s which is a farm/orchard (also in IN) that has a restaurant and farmer’s market and gift shop. It will be easier for my grandmother to get around. They are known for their fried biscuits and apple butter, yet another fall favorite of mine.
I would be remiss not to mention that I also love to hike with my husband in the fall. Our summers are so oppressively hot and humid that it’s not fun to hike then. We always look forward to hitting the trail when the weather turns cool and sometimes going to the lake to watch the deer. We also like to get a cabin at Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge and spend a quiet weekend together.
I could go on and on! There is so much to love about the fall season!
deer in Lake Cumberland area
Woodson Bend, Bronston, KY
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