Monday, August 31, 2015

Considering Fall



What do you do to get ready for fall?  Do you adjust your mindset?  Do you enter the season reluctantly or with gusto?  











When the September calendar page is turned, do you think of your own school days? 
I used to until I spent so many additional years teaching middle school.  I still feel a happy lift when I see a school bus, but I am glad that I don't have to go to school anymore.  I DO associate fall with reading and writing and I noticed that students were sharper and more eager to work with words at the beginning of the school year than they were in the spring.


Maybe the poetic scenes of autumn compel us to hunker down with books, schedule our lives with an August-to-August planner, or take our thoughts to paper in the form of a daily journal.  Maybe we pour over seasonal recipes or buy a real magazine in order to stimulate our autumn jazz.



Something that matters to me as September begins is fabric.  When I was growing up, my mother, my sister, and I went to the fabric store to choose patterns and cloth for our back-to-school wardrobes.  Fabric stores used to cater to seamstresses more than crafters and we bought wool, calico, muslin, and corduroy.  I don't know how my mother managed all the school sewing before I learned to sew.  Even then she completed most of my dresses, skirts, blouses, and pants.  She even willingly sewed cheerleading skirts for the squad members who did not have sewing mothers.  Have you been to a fabric store lately?
 



Speaking of fibers and fabrics, do you refit your bed when there is a nip in the air?  One year we had a few cold days in September (this is common in Colorado) and even though I knew we still had some very warm days ahead, I went to a department store and bought new flannel sheets, a flannel duvet cover, and a flannel nightgown.  It was perfect for a few days, until the weather warmed up again and the percale sheets  had to be put back on the mattress. (Click on percale to find a place to get supreme sheets!  I just discovered Parachute!) 


We need a new bed.  Ours is too hard.  Even at the campy conference center in New Zealand, where the furniture was sparse and the mattress was covered in plastic, I slept better because it was soft.  We've always believed a firm mattress was best for our backs, but I do not have perfect posture after sleeping on a hard bed for so long.  We're going for soft.  No foam because it makes for disruptive rollovers and my husband shifts and changes position often.  No, I want a cushy mattress and lovely sheets.  Maybe that will be our Christmas gift to each other, a cozier bed.  Bedtime has served our marriage well.  Smile.  What do you change about your sleeping spot when the weather turns?


Finally, my fall mindset must include beverages.  Because we are long time coffee drinkers, I often forget to treat myself to a mug of hot chocolate.  If you haven't had any lately, make some over the stove.  Warm milk, cocoa powder, sugar or honey stirred together with a wooden spoon create a loving treat. Hot-spiced cider is delicious and it makes the house smell like Granny's.  Do you ever go to sleep at night and dream of your morning coffee?  I do.  I like a mild roast and prefer my coffee perked.  I am shopping for a new percolator.
I know I am NOT too busy when I find myself drinking a few cups of tea throughout the day. Fall brings perfect beverage weather.




It was hot yesterday.  Five granddaughters roared around in the backyard, using child-size garden tools to make the lovely display below.  Later, they gathered around the dining room table and ate burritos and melon.  They had room for cookies, too.  I don't think they are thinking about autumn's approach yet, but I believe their teamwork and the masterpiece they left for me to find reveals that they sense change is in the air.

Please share your fall feelings with me, your vision and your anticipation. 




21 comments:

Kezzie said...

I confess I do not like Autumn. It makes me sad and long for summer again. I can appreciate the colours but the weather and the shorter days are a huge factor for me! Your photos are all beautiful and I love them but I'm not ready to talk about Autumn myself yet.x

Elizabethd said...

We seem to gone into Autumn without much of a Summer here. It is time to be busy in the garden for me, cutting back, discovering weeds that were hiding, storing lavender....it goes on and on! Nights are drawing in, and a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire is very welcome.

Anonymous said...

A new mattress for a Christmas gift to each other is a great idea. We are in need of a new mattress. It is in sad shape after so many years! We use the same bedding all year long. Dear won't tolerate flannel so that is out for us. I always love to see the kids heading off to school again in September. Schools around here start tomorrow. What a fun creation your grands made in the back yard.
For me fall means the end of mowing. I prefer cold weather clothing over summer clothing. Love to bundle up. Have a great first week of September!

Tessa~ Here there be musing said...

i don't get into autumn, until it feels perfect, to me. and that has happened. :-) i'm ready and happy with it.

Tessa~ Here there be musing said...

wow. plain white background here!

new template, i think also.

no more sidebar, at side, that is.

now you could easily widen your blog... the middle part, where your words and photos show.

:-))))))

Amy at love made my home said...

I like autumn, but I am not yet ready for it this year! I can wait a while longer. We are in need of a new mattress, too worn out and squishy is our problem, but I prefer soft to hard! xx

TexWisGirl said...

happy autumn's eve to you!

Farm Girl said...

Dear Miss Pom Pom,
I love fall because it gets cooler and the days are getting shorter.
I love sleeping in the fall because it is cooler and the air conditioners don't hum along.
I think of fall and reading deep thinking writers like Elisabeth Goudge or Gladys Tabor or that lovely author you introduced me to last fall, Rumer Godden.
I don't drink hot chocolate, just because I love coffee,(I am pretty single minded about coffee.) and tea at night in front of the fire.
Your pictures are just lovely and they beckon me to write more than a comment. A novel for sure.
Thank you so much for reading my comment,
Your friend,
Farmgirl

Granny Marigold said...

What gorgeous pictures!! I love Fall and can hardly wait to turn the calendar page tomorrow ( maybe I'll do it tonight, before I go to bed). I will get out my autumnish stuff and decorate my sideboard. Oh, and soon I'll change to winter bedding. AND my electric blanket which ensures that I never have to get into a chilly bed.

Julia said...

I love driving around and enjoying all the pretty colors of the foliage along the road. It's so beautiful...
I love lighting the stove and have a little fire crackling on very cool nights. It feels cosy...

When it gets colder and I ware long pJs and put fleece sheets on my bed... On colder night I add another blanket .
I love those afghans and throws. they really add comfort.
I don't care for hot chocolate but enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon.
Since I'm less busy outdoors I turn to hooking rugs for relaxation in the evening. I have other fibre arts that I also enjoy doing.

I love to decorate the house for Halloween.

Fall means garden cleanup chores after harvesting.
I'm so grateful for the gift of Fall.
Hugs,
JB



Happy@Home said...

I really do like all of the seasons, but by this time of year I'm so done with the heat and humidity. I just want to sit outside and enjoy fresh crisp air. I want to take a walk in the woods and hear the leaves under my feet. Apples, apple cider and apple pie are sounding mighty good to me right about now. Cozying up under a blanket with a good book without sweltering... bliss.
I enjoyed all of your lovely photos today.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

I can never decide which is my favorite, spring or fall. I think fall, though. I like wearing jeans and boots and sweaters. I like drinking tea. Around here, fall brings in cool, dry weather and high blue skies.

I used to knit to welcome in the fall season, but nowadays if I sit too long, it hurts my shoulders and hips, which is why quilting is so good (you move around a lot with quilting, from the cutting board to the machine to the ironing board and around again). I try to get the house cleaned up and tidy for fall. I think it's because I have so much more energy. But also because it's back to school, which means getting new pens and notebooks and folders, even when you're 51, and setting things to rights.

xofrances

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

I hate seeing summer go, because it means we are back on someone else's schedule. However, I love the weather in the fall. Just today I allowed myself time to think about fall and what advantages the schedule brings me. Reading blogs is one advantage, because Benjamin now has an early bedtime. I loved your thoughts on the fabric, that too was my life and I also long for sewing and fabric in the fall.

happyone said...

I don't really do anything differently when fall gets here. I just seem to roll along with each season. Enjoyed all your beautiful photos.

Elderberry-Rob said...

This time every year I go picking elderberry and this weekend was that time! hubby came along, for me this is the beginning of Autumn, my favourite Season. Your thoughts are inspiring and I now feel like painting hot chocolate and cosy fires but have to go to work now so will have to 'save that thought'!
Betty x

ann said...

Oh so much Joy here. Your memories of your mom sewing school dress brought back such memories. How did our moms do it? And now that you mention it, The bp fabric stores are more crafty and the fqbric isn't as quality any more. And you reminded me to go and buy flannel sheets.

Between Me and You said...

Autumn for me means......STRICTLY COME DANCING!!(Dancing with the Stars for you?). That's when you know the seasons they are a-changing,oh and also, I bought vegetable suet yesterday in the supermarket so my thoughts must be turning to stews and casseroles, definitely Autumnal nosh!! Love your new header pic.xxx

magsmcc said...

I feel ore ready and enthusiastic than I think I have ever been about this time of year! And yes, tonight the boys and I went to the fabric store! We bought foam and fabric to fix Joshua's desk chair. I'll try to blog.

I'd quite like my Autumn to be about burrowing down- very slowly, very gently- into cooler nights and brighter lights. I'd like it to be fed by tasty, healthy meals, and nourished by good books- for all of us. I was working in the school library today and brought home two so interesting books for the boys- easy easy to read picture books but on very deep themes. One of them in particular, "I am human", I think you'd like. Mattman went to sleep tonight when he had finished them both.

I'd like my Autumn to full of love- for orange, and pumpkins, and hot drinks, and outdoor picnics with sausages from a flask, and conkers and leaves from our own back garden, and for each other. Cleaving to each other as the temperatures drop and the layers pile on!

I like your pumpkins! We have to wait for Hallowe'en to get any here. Sigh. I do dream of your pumpkin fields from now on!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Karen, my suggestion re the mattress is to buy a separate top...what are those called...those puffy tops? Well, those go flat in a hurry and then you're stuck if it's attached to the mattress. I believe in excellent shoes and mattress...that's where we spend our lives...on our feet or backs and I want to be comfortable.
I do like a firmish mattress and where I sleep is where ever the dogs aren't. By the time I get to bed, I'm just happy to have a portion.
I use a French Press; it's perfect for my 2.5 daily cups. As to tea, milk sweet teach is my favorite comfort food.
I have no vision for Autumn; just taking it day by day.

Marcie said...

I organize my drawers for autumn and make room for a new sweater or two ... though some years I never actually get a new sweater. Lol. I stock up on tea and dry my own herbs to store for winter. And every single year, I wish for a brand new box of 64 crayons.

Kim said...

I love Autumn! But I am also sad that it is so short and Winter is right behind it. And sometimes Summer sneaks back in for a little bit now and then. We live near enough that we can visit the mountains when the leaves are changing. That'll put you in the mood! Long, winding roads with beautiful vistas. Can't beat it. And I love the warmth of a good mug of coffee, tea or cider. And I love soups and warm, crusty bread! And I love getting to wear boots again! And I add more quilts to the bed to keep us warm. I LOVE the smell of wood smoke! The epitome of Autumn! And pumpkins, I love carving them for Halloween, and how the grass stays green even while the leaves change, so that it's extra beautiful outside.

Thanks, Pom! I think I'm ready for Autumn now!

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