The Fabulousness of Fall

I'm a born and bred New Englander, so I'm practically required by law to love fall. But even if I weren't, I would still love fall. I love the smells, I love the colors, I love the food, I love the coziness. So if you're some kind of Autumnal Scrooge who doesn't understand the love of all things autumn, here are a few of the wonderful things that make autumn so spectacular to me.

Going to a Farm

Sure, packing up the kids and heading to the local orchard to pick apples or pumpkins is great fun, but farms around here have so much more than that! Especially in the fall, farms are practically amusement parks and zoos as well as actual farms. A trip to the farm means hay rides, bouncy houses, petting all kind of animals from alpacas to yaks, caramel apples and cider donuts, playgrounds, and go-karts. You can easily spend the day. And the best part is that most of the time the parents can sit and relax while the kids race around having fun and tiring themselves out. Win-win.

Cozy Clothes

 

Skirts are longer and looser and paired with tall boots instead of toe-baring sandals. No need to shave your legs, paint your toenails, or lose those last few stubborn pounds. Bulky sweaters and loose tunics will hide all your summer indiscretions. Layers of sweaters, scarves, and jackets are the order of the day. Everything is mix and match, so your wardrobe stretches even further.

Everything Smells Good

Fall brings with it all kinds of new smells, from that heavy, earthy, peaty scent of fall planting to the smoky tang of fireplaces and fire pits to the warm comforting smell of pies and casseroles baking. There's a certain richness and warmth to the smells of fall that brings a mental coziness along with the physical coziness.

The Colors

Colors all around become darker, richer, and more saturated in the fall. The leaves, yes, but even the fruits, the decorations, the clothing...everything leans toward jewel tones that light up in that golden quality that sunlight takes on this time of year. Speaking of which...

The Sunlight

There's something special about autumn sunshine. Maybe it's that the warmth it brings burns through crisper air and is more appreciated because of it; maybe it's that the low angle of the sun's rays somehow narrows the spectrum to highlight the golden hues; maybe it's just that we're squinting against the glare. But whatever it is, it's like Mother Nature has the Midas Touch for just an instant, and everything within her view gloriously turns to gold for one brief moment in time.

The Flavors

I know, I know, "Pumpkin Spice Everything." But it's not just pumpkin spice; it's pumpkin and apple and caramel and cinnamon and cranberry and ginger and maple and nutmeg and walnuts. There are certain flavors that only come out to play in the fall, and no matter who you are, there are fall flavors that you love. (Even if it's not pumpkin spice.)

Going Outside

(Disclaimer: This is a stock photo, not my kid. Always wear a helmet. Safety first.)

In my neck of the woods, summer is often too hot to send the kids outside to play for too long at a time (unless they're swimming in the pool). But autumn is perfect weather for working up a sweat biking or skateboarding or hiking or jumping in leaf piles, either as a family or sending the kids off on their own.

Togetherness

Sure, we spend the daylight hours outside, together or apart, in the fall, but the evenings see the whole family scurrying back inside for warmth and light. It's too cool and too dark to keep playing or working outside, so we all drift back in, cuddling together under blankets, cozying together in the kitchen or the living room, somehow gravitating together for safety as our ancestors did when the cold weather set in.


So those are a few of the things that make fall so special to me. I'm ready for the cool weather, the falling leaves, the changing colors. I'm ready for pumpkins on doorsteps and mums in the garden and frost on the windshield. I've got my boots and my blankets and my pumpkin spice everything. So bring on fall - I'm ready!

Autumn is Awesome

I love fall. Especially fall in New England. The weather is cool and crisp, there's a wonderful earthy smell in the air, the colors of everything are dark and rich and gorgeous. Here are a few of the special things about autumn that make it so wonderful to me.

Apples

There's nothing quite like the sensation of biting into a crisp, firm, sweet, juicy fall apple fresh off the tree. Cortland, Macoun, Northern Spy, Empire, Delicious, Macintosh, Winesap, Gala, Baldwin, Fuji. Each one as delicious as the last. Some for eating, some for pies, some for applesauce, some for candy or caramel apples. I like they way they look, I like the way they feel, I like the way they smell, I like the way they taste. I like picking them from a basket and I like picking them off a tree.

The Smells

People don't burn leaves as often as they used to (which is probably a good thing), but there are still wonderful autumnal smells all season long. As well as the rare smell of a leaf pile burning in someone's back yard, a much more common - but equally wonderful - burning smell in the air comes from fireplaces, fire pits, and wood stoves, all being used to drive away the chill in the air. It's the smell of cozy warmth to me.

Walking Through Leaves

I try to walk for an hour every weekday. It's difficult in hot weather, and it's difficult in cold weather, but the crisp, cool mornings of autumn are perfect walking weather. But even better than the temperature is the delight I take in that crunchy, scuffling sound of walking through fallen leaves. There's something very satisfying about breaking the silence of a walk with the rhythmic crispness of your footsteps being magnified by the dry leaves underfoot.

The Colors

Red, yellow, orange, gold, burgundy...oak trees, maple trees, horse chestnut trees, elm trees, burning bushes, bittersweet, sumac, even poison ivy all put on their most glorious colors for autumn in New England. From bright leaves to shiny berries, the near uniform-green of the woods changes to a fiery rainbow in autumn.

The Flavors

As much as we mock the whole "everything pumpkin spice!!!!" phenomenon, I love the special flavors that come out in the fall. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, caramel, apple, pumpkin, coffee. Much like the smell of a wood fire, the flavors of fall make me feel all cozy inside.

Comfort Food

I love the foods of autumn. It's no longer too hot to use the stove, so baked foods like casseroles and pot pies come back on the menu, along with wonderful soups and stews made in the crockpot or on the stovetop. The kitchen - and the whole house - is filled with the smells of garlic and onion and oregano and basil from lasagna and homemade tomato sauce, of root vegetables simmering alongside a pot roast or stew beef, of chicken surrounded by sage and thyme and marjoram. It is the season of chicken pot pie and gingerbread and stuffed acorn squash and chicken and rice casserole and pumpkin pie and beef stew. It is the season of strong spices and hearty breads and second servings.

Cozy Clothes

Perhaps my favorite part of autumn is the coziness. The shorts and tee-shirts get safely tucked away and out come the warm sweaters, the fuzzy slippers, the flannel nightgowns, the soft wool pants, the cozy turtlenecks, the long wool coats, the knitted hats and scarves and mittens and wraps. A hat that snugs down over your ears, a scarf pulled up over a cold nose, long sleeves to tuck your chilly fingers in.

These are the wonderful things about autumn!!