In Which Autumn Is Upon Us

All of the flooring stores were closed today, so we're going to try to go tomorrow afternoon. We won't be going in the morning because we are meeting with the escrow company to sign our paperwork. Then pretty much all we'll have to do is go to the closing and pick up the keys!

Amazing.

Today was one of those rare late fall days where the sun comes out, and the leaves were absolutely stunning. It was around late October three years ago when we moved to Washington from Texas, and I remember Connor, six months old at the time, being completely fascinated by the colors of the leaves above his head as we walked around the block. He still loves to stare up at the patterns they make when the wind moves through them, and if we find a particularly stunning tree he'll laugh and clap his hands. He especially loves the glorious fire-colored maple trees-- I may have to plant one for him in our new yard!

This is my favorite time of the year too; I love going to the cider mills and getting big jugs of fresh pressed cider, eating huge sticky caramel apples and making a tremendous mess, taking Connor through the corn maze, and picking out the perfect pumpkin from the fields. This is also the time of year when you start being able to buy buttered rum mix in the freezer section of all the grocery stores. I've made it myself before but prefer to buy it so I can be in denial about just how much butter goes into that delicious stuff. We'll probably be skipping that particular tradition this year; I don't really think morphine and alcohol do very well together, but I can at least buy the ice cream flavor. It usually comes out right about now at the local creameries and is here until just after Christmas. Yum-- I would stockpile that stuff if I could.

The cats like fall because all of the birds and squirrels, anxious to stock up for the winter, start hitting our bird feeder like crazy. Loki and Cricket are now spending a good portion of the day staring longingly out the window at the bounty spread out before them. I get the impression that they would like to be stocking up for the winter too.

I have to take advantage of these crisp, clear sunny days and get as much done as I can, because I know from prior experience that was the rain really sets in, for the first three weeks or so I don't want to do anything. If it was up to me I would spend the first month of dreary weather curled up with a book and a cup of tea. I tend to become rather lethargic and bad tempered. Too bad-- there'll be no time to laze about this fall and winter!

Though I will pack my tea collection last, just in case.

~Jess