Fall

"The hazy, cloudless skies of Indian Summer. Leaves scurrying down the street

before the wind. The cold shiver from an arctic blast. Indian Summer. The last

warmth of the sun. Chilly mornings and glorious warm afternoons. The Harvest

Moon. The Hunter's Moon. The Rainy Season. Dry corn stalks clattering in the

wind. The touch of frost on grass and window pane. The smell of burning leaves."

- Keith C. Heidorn

Since I can remember, fall has been my favorite season. Something about the crisp air, deep fall colors, soups, stews, fruit harvests and holidays just restores my soul. With Grant and my three years of marriage being spent in Florida and Arizona, I blame any moment of battiness on not having a true fall ;)- I lose my bearings! Since it is still in the 100's in Phoenix, I guess I just have to re-create it in my memory.

Around this time of year when I lived in Utah, I would go on rides with friends to gather fall leaves and berries, fill the garage (to my roommates chagrin) and create wreaths for family members and friends to hang on their doors. I was touched to see that my uncle still has his wreath hanging in his home four years later, the leaves perfectly dried preserving their matchless colors. Just for fun one year, my sister and I sold her mini pumpkin cheesecake brulee's and my wreaths at a farmer's market and had a blast. This week I wandered the craft aisles hoping for any replacement fall foliage I could use in a wreath for our new home, but no one can recreate the beauty nature already holds!

Well, welcome back fall. I'll take every bit of you I can get!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

What is your favorite thing about fall?