1.I love the darkness this time of year. After a whole summer where we rarely saw any darkness at all there is something so cozy about sitting around by the fire in the evening with the lights on and everything dark outside. It makes me slow down and just relax in the evenings instead of feeling like I should be getting things done. Plus if it’s dark when I get up in the morning I feel like I’m getting a good early start to my day. In the summer I wake up feeling behind because it has already been light for several hours!
2. The smell of fall has really stuck out to me this year. I’m not sure if it’s the Aspen and Birch leaves drying out, or just something in the air, but fall has a particular smell. Mixed in there is the smell of freshly spilt wood as we all help Daddy throw it on the big stack behind the house and the wood smoke coming out of the chimney and calling us back into the warm cabin.
3. I love hot drinks all year round, but a good steaming mug of coffee or tea or hot chocolate is just cozier somehow in the fall. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen with some pumpkin spice lattes and have been pleased with the results. Andy usually doesn’t like coffee, but he tasted the first pumpkin spice latte I made and wouldn’t stop drinking it. Finally I made him his own just so I could drink mine in peace!
4. The fall colors are beautiful up here. It’s a little different than down in the East because we don’t have maple trees to give that beautiful red color. We have Aspen and Birch trees mixing yellow in with the green firs. The fireweed and blueberry plants in the meadows and alongside the road provide a carpet of red down below. It makes the drive to church so beautiful in the early morning light as we drive along the ocean for almost an hour.
5. My children. I know this isn’t particularly a fall thing, but since life has slowed down so much I have really been struck with how big the children are getting and how much they do around here! Gabe and Jasmine get themselves dressed in the morning and they both love to help with firewood. Often when I am drinking a mug of tea on the couch Jasmine will ask if she can take it to the sink for me. (Of course, dear child!) Even Oscar knows how to take something to the trash and likes to clean up spilled water with a rag. It’s been really fun to notice how much they are developing and adding to the family even at their young ages.
These are all things I’ve been loving this fall. What are some of your favorites?
