Changing of the Seasons

Autumn has arrived once again. For a brief spell, our days and nights will be equal, then the darkness outweighs the light. In spite of the shorter days, I enjoy this time of year. College football arrives, the hockey season starts, and the baseball playoffs take shape. I also love the cooler weather and the "brisk" feeling that arrives with fall (I relished it as a kid because it gave us a break from the hot Southern summers). And for leaf color, there are few places on Earth more beautiful than New England. I had the opportunity to live in Connecticut for a year, and the color did not disappoint. This year remains to be seen since the Boston area has been in a dry spell for most of the summer and all of September. Maybe I should run out and water all my trees heavily.

Holidays also start to show up with the arrival of fall. The first is Halloween, then  Thanksgiving. I don't do much for Thanksgiving these days since most of my family has passed on or are scattered far apart; it was much more fun when I was a youngster (never mind that traveling was WAY easier). My Mom, Stepdad, sister, and I would drive to my Aunt Tootie's house, and she would cook a feast. I could see all my other aunts and uncles, cousins, and family friends. And the food....oh my, the food. I sure do miss those gatherings. These days, my husband and I usually do something simple for Thanksgiving. We sure as heck don't drive or fly anywhere. One year we spent it at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Dulles, VA. Other years we cook a turkey breast (perfect for two people), or we dine on something totally unrelated to the holiday. 

Halloween is a different story. I love Halloween. I get to buy all that terrible candy I'd love to eat year round but try to avoid for fear of accelerated tooth decay. I always buy stuff I would like to eat in case no children show up. Then I'm not stuck with a bunch of Honey-Crack or Chocolate-Covered-Coconut-Bliss. The past several years, I've lived in places where trick-or-treaters are fairly abundant, so I haven't had to deal with much in the leftover candy department. I also try to make sure I have chocolate and non-chocolate type of candy available. I get a big kick out of planning my pumpkins. I try to do at least one, but most years I can do two. I even bought a brand new fancy carving kit. Maybe this year I'll go for 3 or 4 pumpkins. Last year I had to do "simple" carvings because I tripped over my black cat, Neo two weeks before Halloween. Ironic, yes. I also have a skeleton I can dress up and a cat skeleton to compliment the human bones. This year we also have an additional black cat, Murphy. One can never have enough "Halloween" cats. However, I will keep Murphy, Neo, and Ixie safe inside on Halloween.

I'd love to write more, but it is time for me to get busy choosing pumpkins, preparing my carving ideas, dressing up the front of the house (and the skeletons), and buying some candy. Hopefully this year will be as fun and successful as previous years.