Falling in love with FALL!

This post is dedicated to my aunt, Sylvia Bradley. She is one of a few who ALWAYS encourage my writing, and the one who was so anxious to read a new post, that she inspired me to finally get this one written! Love you, Aunt Sylvia, and thank you for always being a big fan. :) <3

Yes, I did just use a wildly corny phrase which I try not to do, and in the immortal words of the Tenth Doctor, "hope to never use again". Anyway, it's the most wonderful time of the year! <3 No parents, it isn't the first day of school...that happened about a month ago...No! It's FALL! All right, so I've never been a HUGE Fall person in the past, I've usually been a "any season but Fall" person, but for some reason I'm changing. It could have something to do with the fact that the last two years we have had nearly no Winter, nor Spring but flew straight in to hot, oppressive, sticky, Summer...Days filled with triple digit heat, and humidity so vicious not even a full can of Aqua Net could keep your hair from falling flat! No one can escape the heat, with cold there are layers that can be put on with scarves and knitted hats, boots and fluffy jackets, but with heat...well there is only SO much that anyone can, or in some cases, should take off...of course going to Walmart in hot weather won't save you from seeing someone who REALLY should put another layer of clothes on...but I digress. Life here in the states has gotten kinda crappy, and without going into any massive political diatribe I'll simply state facts. Unemployment is rampant, debt is sky high, gas is unbelievable, we are in an election year (kill me now...) and we have gone through a highly publicized attack based on a disgustingly prejudiced movie made by some crazy person...Who hasn't seen the disturbing photos of the murdered diplomat to Libya on TV or the internet? Somehow, with all of this mess, a good ole fashioned, crisp, cool, American fall is JUST what the doctor ordered for me. Every day I'm reminded of the Falls of my childhood, playing in the leaves, Halloween, yes I'm a Halloween NUT! All the fun projects at school, art in specific, and just everything about it brings me back; of course the crappy parts of school life are still hidden in the back of my mind, but again I digress. In this post I'll simply be musing, I may rant, and I'll admit, I'm watching a movie as I type this so it is VERY likely that I will lapse into some new topic, so bare with me (did I use the proper "bear"?). Luckily for you all, I proofread every post I make because I'm neurotic thorough...<.< I will also be including PICTURES! But I'm no artist, my cousin got that one, so I'll be using Googled images to emphasize my writing. Just as a save my butt option, if you find ANY of your own pictures on here and you can prove to me they are yours, and you don't want them here, I will gladly remove it. Now, onto the goodies!

Secluded paths lined with colorful trees and no sounds of city life to be heard. Crisp leaves underfoot of reds, greens, yellows, or browns crunching to create the sounds of Fall. Trees canopying a lone bicycle rider, walker, or even car rider, surrounding them in Mother Natures gentle grasp. Deer (when not running out in front of a driver...) peeking through the underbrush with their big brown eyes and curious ears, rabbits scurrying in the leaves, a fox stalking its prey. The air itself, the crisp coolness after the oppressive heat (biggest reason why I LOVE living in an area with such polar opposite seasons) that feels like Gods own way of saying, "you survived the troubles, now I give you the joys", the smells! Oh how lovely a wood smells in the Fall! So alive, so clean and crisp; when I'm alone in the woods in the Fall, I feel like a discoverer, almost like I'm the first human to walk this area and see the true beauty of God and Mother Nature striding hand in hand to create such a beautiful picture. Gods palette ALWAYS inspires me, who but the great bringer of life could create such colors, scents and sights.

FOOD! Since time immemorial, Spring has brought the sowing of seeds, Summer has brought the growth of plants, and Fall, Fall has brought the harvest! A bounty of flavors, and colors, textures and scents! Gods gift to the world, the continuing promise of human life, food. I can not lie about this, I've never had Pumpkin Pie, and honestly I'm not keen on trying it...I'm picky and a "super taster" but that's another story...I can however, enjoy the sweet smells of pumpkin pie. Crisp apples, mmm! Can anything be so pleasant to the human experience than biting into a crisp, cool, sweet but still tangy, apple! I'm the granddaughter of a farmer, and some of my BEST experiences were on their farm. The feeling of being secluded enjoying the sights and smells of the country, waking up in the morning to find a cow staring at me from the back fence, Grandma cooking breakfast, playing in the rows of the back garden, I could just go on! You know, I think I will. The woods around the farm and exploring those woods! 

Feeding my cow, Susie, petting pigs after dad trailed feed to the fence to lead the pigs to my sister and I, playing with the kittens, there have always been TONS of cats out there, exploring in the barn, crawling into the little twin bed across from my Grandparents bed and snuggling under an old quilt. I suppose I should set the house up a bit, downstairs there was a kitchen and living room with a porch off of them, the living room and kitchen face the driveway and the living room faces the road. Two doors lead to both the kitchen and living room off the porch, there is a pantry off the kitchen, and a stairwell that leads upstairs. The stairwell is enclosed, and is accessed by a door in the kitchen next to a small china cabinet. The stairs are narrow and spiraled, upstairs there are two bedrooms the front bedroom is my Grandparents, with a twin bed on the right as you climb the stairs. The stairs end in my Grandparents room and a half wall separates the room from the stairs. The other room is my moms old room, when I was a baby my parents slept in my moms old room, I was in the playpen, and my sister was in the little twin bed. 

As I grew older, dad slept on the pull out bed in the living room, I slept in the twin bed, and my sister and mom slept in the big bed. I remember feeling so cozy and safe in that little bed with my Grandparents just feet away, even if Grandpa does snore like a freight train...and no, I didn't forget the bathroom, it is in the backyard, yes, they have an outhouse! When I was growing up, there was cold running water so if we needed hot water, it was heated on the stove and that meant SPIT BATHS! Now they have no running water, don't ask...told y'all I'd get off track. Anyway, growing up in this type of environment was WONDERFUL! I could truly appreciate the beauty of food in the form of corn and soybeans, traipsing through the rows, picking up spare ears of corn that were missed, or touching the fuzzy soybeans as they ripened in the field. There is nothing that says Fall quite like a farm!

WATER! Now how can ANYONE not love water? I'm a complete water baby, I love the look, I love the smell, I love the taste, I love the feel and I love the sound! There is something magical about water, so gentle but so powerful. Water is the epitome of quiet strength, it carves out valleys, it can get ANYWHERE and everywhere, it is life giving and simply magical. When water is added to the beauty of Fall foliage, magic happens! The reds, yellows, greens, browns they simply make the water sparkle and shine, and what is Fall without thoughts of covered bridges and waterwheels?

Water adds to the beauty and magic of Fall, well it adds to the beauty and magic of EVERY season, but I digress again.

Thanksgiving, yes I'm putting it before Halloween for a reason. I won't lie, Thanksgiving has never been a major favorite in the holiday department, but there are beautiful memories of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving brings families together for feasting and love. Turkey is passed, and yes I do LOVE turkey! Pies are baked in eager anticipation of the feast to come. Casseroles, stuffing, turkey dripping in delicious juices, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, thick gravy, green beans, it all leads to a coming together of families. It is a special time when mothers, fathers, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, children, they all come together to enjoy the fruits of the season. It is a time to remember how blessed we are, and to prepare for the onslaught of Winter!

Last, but not least, HALLOWEEN! Now as my brain is running low on purty or witty things to say, I'll keep Halloween short, and I really want to do a post later on totally devoted to one of my favorite holiday's. Halloween and Christmas are my two FAVORITE holiday's. A short list and run down of why Halloween ROCKS, pumpkin carving, trick or treating, witches, ghosts, horror movies, scary shows, darkness, and just a hint of magic in the air. I'll go MUCH more in depth in to this subject in another post because I feel this is running a bit long.

To close this post, the above is a little bit of what makes me tick, and why I feel so giddy and anxious about this cool, crisp, sweet and chilly season! See you all soon, and as it is October, don't let the spooks get you. ;)

Love,

Christina