It's Autumn...My Favorite Time of Year

I love fall–I always have, and not just because my birthday is in the fall, but also because it’s a lovely time of year. Not an ending, but a beginning of cooler weather, sweatshirts and jeans and warm beverages and apples and pie and snuggling on the sofa in front of a fire. The gorgeous photo above is autumn in the hills above the Ohio River and my little fictional town of River's Edge! (photo courtesy of Brenda Guess Shropshire)

Here in the city, we cut back some of the stuff in the front garden this week–the one under my office window. It’s still got green and flowers in it, but not so much color as plants go dormant for a long winter’s nap. Husband loves the purple verbena and the colorful cosmos that are still hanging on, so we’ll leave those until they stop blooming. It’s bittersweet to trim the gardens after a summer full of blossoms, but it’s time and we’re grateful for the pleasure they brought us and look forward to all that glorious color next summer. My dear neighbor, Mary, brought me allium bulbs for my birthday and she planted them today--just randomly among the other plants in my office garden. I can't wait to see them come to life! 

Up at the lake, summer begins and ends with leaves. Gorgeous, colorful leaves everywhere–in the lake, on the road, on the docks, and particularly on our deck! Husband uses the leaf blower on them in the mornings and within an hour, the deck is covered again. The umbrella, the table, the chairs, even our car become repositories for orange, red, yellow, and crispy brown maple leaves. The good news is that we can blow or sweep them out into the yard and the yard guy picks them up. Personally, I’m totally into the whole someone else does the yard work thing that happens at the lake.

Another reason I love autumn is that Liz and I head somewhere for a writing retreat each October--and this year, we are both so incredibly ready for that time to get here! We VRBOed a condo in an old renovated building on the Black River in South Haven, Michigan, just a few blocks from Lake Michigan. We're planning lots of writing, walking, restaurants, lighthouses, and wineries. We'll process and talk story endlessly, particularly since we are both beginning a new one on this trip. We'll share words and ideas as well as bags of chips and cookies and apples and coffee, coffee, coffee. It will be crisp and comfortable up there this time of year, so sweatshirts and jeans will be the order of the week. 

All in all, even though I love snowy winters and lovely green springs and warm summer days, autumn is my time. I know this is a huge question right now on everyone's blog, but I'm going to ask it in a different way here--tell me, what's one thing you truly hate about fall? I'll tell you mine--allergies. I have fall allergies and I really hate being snotty and sneezy, but I try hard to maintain a good heart because everything else about fall is so amazing to me.

PS: An advertisement if you'll indulge me: The Fireman's Christmas Wish is now available for pre-order at all book retailers! Pre-order now and it will be waiting for you on your e-reader on October 18!