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!!

Fall Favorites

As sad as I am to see the summer coming to an end, there are a lot of wonderful things about the fall that I love, and that I look forward to eagerly every year. Here are some of my favorite things about fall:

The Afternoon Light

As annoying as it sometimes is when the slant of the light blinds you on your afternoon commute in the early autumn, there’s also a beautiful golden cast to that afternoon sunlight that puts a kind of an aura around everything. I love to sit on my porch and watch the glow of the sun over the trees, or see the sunlight catch my daughter’s blond locks or my son’s light brown waves and give them an angelic halo.

Warm Days, Cold Nights

One of the first changes that tells me that autumn is here is the return of good sleeping weather. The days are still warm, the sunshine still heats everything up during the day, but once the sun goes down in September, a chill falls. I love slipping in between the cool sheets of my bed, snuggling underneath my fluffy comforter, putting my cold feet on my husband’s warm legs, and slowly but surely getting all toasty and cozy.

Casseroles and Crock Pots

I’m mainly a comfort food cook, so planning dinners in the summer is always a challenge for me. I tend to rely on my husband’s grilling skills most of the time. But when the weather cools enough that a) using the stove doesn’t cause anyone in the kitchen to faint from the heat, and b) my family is happy to sit down to a hot meal, I pull out all my casserole and crock pot recipes. Shepherd’s pie, chicken and rice casserole, chili, chicken pot pie, lasagna, pork chops and applesauce…I love to make them and I love to eat them.

Autumn Smells

Autumn has so many wonderful smells, both indoors and out. Outside, there’s a smell of burning leaves, of upturned earth from fall plantings, of rainstorms that somehow smell different in the fall. Inside, there’s lingering wood smoke from the first fire in the fireplace, that funny musty smell from the first time the furnace kicks on, and the wonderful kitchen smells from the above-mentioned casserole and crock pot cooking. Sometimes in September I just take a few moments to just stand still and take in that wonderful fall smell.

Fall Decorations

In July, everyone decorates their houses with bunting, American flags, stars, wooden Uncle Sam dolls, all things patriotic. But once that comes down, there’s not much themed decoration until September, when people break out the big pots of purple and orange and gold chrysanthemums, the wreaths of autumn leaves, the Indian corn, the scarecrows, and the pumpkins.

Fall Flavors

Speaking of pumpkins, fall is when all the local supermarkets and bakeries and coffee chains start putting out their wonderful fall flavors, mainly pumpkin-themed, with a bit of apples and cider and cinnamon and spices thrown in. Dunkin’ Donuts has pumpkin donuts, pumpkin munchkins, and pumpkin muffins; and pumpkin spice, pumpkin white chocolate, and pumpkin mocha coffee and lattes. Starbucks offers a pumpkin spice latte and a special Thanksgiving blend coffee. Many restaurants and bars offer fall-themed cocktails featuring cider and spices and cranberries, like caramel apple martinis and cranberry sangria and hot toddies and mulled wine. Mmmm, the taste of fall.

Cozy Clothes

By September, I am so sick of my summer wardrobe, and I am so ready to start wearing my cozy sweaters and turtlenecks and cute wool skirts and fabulous leather jackets and tall boots. I look forward to packing away all my sleeveless tops and T-shirts and cotton shorts and sandals in favor of long sleeves and khaki pants and tennis shoes. All those pastels can give way to my beloved forest greens and burgundies and navy blues and rich browns. The exhibitionism of summer gives way to the safe, protective comfort and cover of long sleeves, long hems, and baggy cuts that I can retreat into like a hermit crab vanishing into his shell.

The Unexpected Exception

And one of my very favorite parts of early fall is the occasional exceptions to the above rules. Every once in a while, September will sneak in a day, like today, when the temperature shoots back up to 90 degrees, when I have to dig out a pair of shorts from the box I just packed away, when I make a last-minute menu change to throw some pork chops on the grill instead of baking them in the oven, when ordering that pumpkin latte just feels wrong, when the scarecrow on the porch looks out of place and premature. Those moments remind me that even though I love the heat of summer, I’m ready for the coolness and changes that fall brings. 

What a Crock

Having grown up in New England, it should come as no surprise that autumn is my favorite season. I love seeing the first pop of red at the top of a maple tree, I love the way the sun glows on all the brightly-colored trees along Route 128, I love the smell of fresh mulch and burning leaves, I love the crunch of crisp fallen leaves underfoot, I love the pumpkins and huge pots of mums that suddenly pop up on doorsteps everywhere. But one of the things I love the most about autumn is cooking.

My mom was a great comfort food cook. She taught me to make wonderful casseroles, meatloaf, stew, and pasta sauces. And most importantly, she taught me how to use a crock pot. I love cooking with a crock pot. I think one of the things I like best about cooking in a crock pot is that it makes the house smell wonderful, not just at suppertime but all day long. It builds the anticipation from lunchtime on, giving you little hints about the wonderful meal to come. The scent of garlic, of thyme, of bay leaves, of chicken stock, of smoky ham or spicy sausage or earthy lentils. It smells like love, and it smells like home.

My dad worked the same job for over 40 years, and we had supper as soon as he came home from work at 5:00. So every night, he would walk in the door to the smell of something delicious coming out of the oven (or the crockpot). It was like a little welcome home present every night. When I was a little older and my mom got home from work at the same time that my dad did, she would leave me nearly-finished meals to add the final touches to. I would pop the lasagna or the shepherd’s pie into the oven; I would stir a few extra herbs into the simmering sauce in the crockpot; I would bake the cornbread or the biscuits. And whenever I did, I felt like I was giving both my parents that same welcome home present at the end of a long, tiring day.

This may sound like a very old-fashioned attitude, but I love to be able to give my husband that same welcome home present. I know how hard he works, and I like to show him that I appreciate his hard work. So I hope that every night when he comes home from work, he can smell in my cooking the same love my mom cooked up for my dad.

It might not work for everyone, but for me, cooking for my family makes my house feel more like a home.

 

An Ode to Autumn

I love autumn in New England. I love the earthy smell in the air. I love the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. I love hearing the kids squeal as they get off the school bus. I love the crispness of the morning air. I love the glow of the afternoon sun. I even love the bittersweet feeling of packing up swimsuits, closing the pool, and tucking away shorts and sandals until next year.

I love that musty smell the first time the heat comes on in the morning. I love all the foods of autumn – the casseroles, the stews, the hearty meats and sauces. I love tucking my cold nose under the covers and letting my own breath warm it back up again. I love snuggling in blankets. I love wearing warm sweaters. I love drinking hot cocoa and tea and mulled cider at night and warming my hands on the mug. I love that first fire in the fireplace. I love the trace of frost on the windshield.

I love the potted mums that magically appear on doorsteps throughout the neighborhood. I love the fat pumpkins and the tall cornstalks and the witches and ghosts that herald the coming of Halloween. I love trading in my sandals for tall boots and my T-shirts for snuggly sweaters and my windbreaker for my wool coat. I love wrapping a scarf around my chin.

But most of all, I love the colors of autumn. I love the brightness of the leaves as green gives way to golden yellows, fiery oranges, and brilliant reds. I love watching gardens change from soft summer pastels into the rich, deep burgundies and purples and dark golds of autumn flowers. I love watching everyone’s wardrobe mellow from clear bright colors into more muted, deeper shades. I love the addition of bright yellow school buses into the visual cacophony that passes by my window.

I’m sure that in a few months I’ll be looking forward to the change from autumn into winter, with the first drifts of snow covering up the brown dead leaves, and the clean crisp smell of frost washing away the musty smell of stale autumn, and the brightness of a red cardinal standing out against the stark barrenness of the garden. But for now, I’m enjoying my beautiful autumn!