Leaves

Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.  

~Carol Bishop Hipps

There are so many things I love about Fall or Autumn as some say. I like the word Autumn. Mostly because it has a silent "n" on the end and not many people use it anymore. I love that my kids have so much fun in the leaves and can play outside fully clothed, but not totally bundled up. I've discovered leaves can be thrown, caught, raked, put in buckets, preserved in books, hung on the fridge, or just left in the yard for all to enjoy (or find a nuisance, however you look at it). At any rate, in the summer, there is sunscreen, swimsuits, heat, sweat, the need for a pool almost every day. In the dead of winter, huge coats that cover cute sweaters, mittens, hats that toddlers protest, bitter cold and the need for indoor heat to warm the little red fingers on those same toddlers who protest mittens as well. Autumn! Now there's a good time of the year. I've not had the chance to experience this until the past few years living on the East Coast. LOVE IT!! Southern California only afforded hot and hotter, Alaska, cold and colder (given a few nice summer days that we ALWAYS miss), but out here, well, the perfect blend of seasons. It's getting crisp outside, the bugs are gone, the leaves are so pretty, my sweaters, scarves, jeans, and boots are seeing the light of day, the kids can just play outdoors un-slathered in UV protectant goo, Andrew gets to use his leaf vacuum/blower combo tool, and we all sip warm drinks, roast hot dogs and never forget the ever-loving s'more. I will enjoy it while it lasts, because coming up: forecasted rain and the possibility of snow here in the next few weeks. So, I will end with the words of George Eliot, 

"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."