Fall is Falling...I just know it

Slowly but surely fall is creeping in. I can feel it. September is one of those funky transitional months that, being the impatient person that I am, I want to hurry through to get on to the next thing. See, I’m a big fan of fall anyway (after all, my birthday falls (haha) right in the middle of it), and I can always tell when it’s getting to be about time for the leaves to fall and the air to pick up a chill. I start to see fall everywhere. I watch television and dream of the way the crisp air smells; filled with the odor of falling leaves and fireplace smoke, and the way my bulky sweaters feel against my skin, and hot chocolate that burns my tongue, and I get excited because they are all in the works only a month or so down the road and honestly, I can’t wait. I hate summer because it’s so hot in the Bread Basket that you can hardly stand it. I don’t really like winter all that much either because as I’ve said before, I get cold in 70 degree weather AND with natural gas prices going up the way they are expected to, I’m staring a $400 a month electric and gas bill in the face and flipping it off. Not fun, any way you look at it. But fall is different especially here in the Mid-West. I’d have to say that it is probably the best season of them all. Not too hot, not too cold, and the leaves are absolutely beautiful.
Not only that, it’s the onset of the holidays. One of my favorite days of the year is Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition for me. I get up at 9:00 and get something warm to drink and lounge on the couch and watch the Macy’s parade curled up under my flannel blanket every year. After the parade is over, I go to mom and dad’s where I’m on potato peeling duty for most of the morning. It’s great. Food and family and football. I’m sure you can see what I mean.
Honestly, I don’t know how people live in climates that stay the same all year round. Not that I wouldn’t mind living in sunny Florida or Cali, but I know that I would miss the way the seasons change. I would find myself going through withdrawl every four months or so and getting very frustrated with the always moderate temperatures. My body needs the changes to stay regular in a way. It knows when things should happen and when the heat gets to be too much and it’s just not fun anymore, my body calls out for fall which somehow slowly transitions in to winter. Our winters have seemed to last longer than need be the last couple years and been colder than I’d like, so I start to dream about spring early, but it’s okay, because I know that no matter how hot or cold it gets, that eventually the weather will do a 180 and I’ll have my fix…well, fixed. So bring on fall, I say. When I can toast life with a cup of hot chocolate next to a crackling, smoky smelling fireplace (which by the way is all the smoke I’m going to be smelling….I’m at 11 days smoke-free and counting). Well, I guess I’ve gotta go, but don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. Hugs