Hello Girlfriends! I just want to say, your touching comments about our Dads (!), the Peter Rabbit Room, Domesticity City, and the newest recipes, plus all the connections we’ve been making with one another have made me so happy; I’ve been trying to think of a way to show you how much I’ve enjoyed reading them! This Fall Giveaway is the result! xo
Plus, October arrives this weekend! So let’s celebrate all us kindred spirit vagabonds and our wild gypsy blood with this . . .
. . . gorgeous quilt, which will soon be in the hands of some lucky winner! All you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave a comment at the bottom of this post, and answer one simple little question: What’s YOUR favorite thing about fall? ♣ Here are some hints and possibilities, to get your clock a tickin’ . . .
If you win, you could do this with your new, old, vintage quilt, and that might be your most favorite thing about fall this year. Putting the sweet in Home Sweet Home.♥
Or maybe you love outsmarting the first freeze and getting the last of the tomatoes in from your garden to ripen on the window sill… because they look so darn cute up there!
Or is it the cozy quiet back-to-school kind of morning when you’re alone in the kitchen with the cinnamon toast?
Or is it the way your house smells with your little dinners of acorn squash and homemade chicken and mushroom soup? That could definitely be it! ♣
You could eat that soup in front of this wonderful old movie, which if you haven’t seen, you would love. Have dinner with Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. Bring your twelve-year-old daughter. ♥ ♥ ♥
Or maybe the change of season is so wonderful because we get to have more fires, turn off all the lights and pretend it’s 1840.
Or could it be the sound the leaves make when we crunch through them and kick them into the air? Don’t we just love it when they cartwheel down the road, tip to tip? Or, when we get to make wishes on the ones we catch in mid-air?
Or is it this, the smell of cedar, juniper trees, bayberry, musky rotting leaves, thick dampness in the air, salt and ocean; being swept along the dirt road by the wind filled with flying leaves; looking at Joe, cute in his black beret, the woodland around us laced with spider webs sparkling with dew on foggy mornings . . . could this be it? Yes, it could!
Or, it could be when we reach under the leaves to discover the freebies in the compost heap, volunteers we didn’t plant? We even got a spaghetti squash this year!
♣ ♣ ♣
It’s a season of the little things in life that make it so special. Let the fun begin! What do you love most about the sweetest season? And btw, not to forget, Hellooooo down there in Aussie Land and everyone south of the equator! Tell us all what it is about spring that makes you fall in love all over again??? Inquiring minds want to know! xoxo Have a wonderful Day! You have until midnight tomorrow night (Wednesday Sept. 28 est.) to comment and be entered!
With Love from the Heart of the Home and Me! ♥
I have been in love with Autumn for my whole life! My most favorite thing about it is decorating my house spooky for Halloween.
Here in the desert in AZ fall means different things than in the rest of the country. I love turning off the AC for the last time and opening up the house to fresh air. Also, our seven or so months of beautiful weather begins. Football starts, and all is well.
Night comes faster and a pot of stew for dinner with some good bread. Taking a walk and viewing all the changes in the trees and plants in my neighborhood. There is a different smell to the air. Pulling on a favorite sweater that’s been stowed away for the summer. Wearing sliipers in the house to keep my feet warm. Cuddling under quilts to watch tv and then to sleep under, and pile them on when it really gets cold. Even the dogs get cuddly once it turns chilly!
I love the Fall and don’t think I could live where the seasons do not change ! Here in the Northeast we are getting hot, humid weather….and I long for crisp, cool days. What I love best is the COZY part of Fall….baking pumpkin bread and muffins, apple crisp, making soups and stews ( or other goodies from the Autumn Cookbook that sits on my counter with a few leaves tucked underneath ) and coming in after a long walk to enjoy a hot meal. The smell of cinnamon and spice candles, the pumpkins on my porch and the wreath of leaves on my door. I love to go for walks and crunch through the leaves….then come home and listen to Barry Manilow’s “When October Goes”. I love Fall Friday Nights….home with my wonderful husband, workweek over, PJ’s on, wine and pizza made with whole wheat crust and lots of veggies, a fire in the fireplace, an old movie or The Mentalist on DVR, the wind blowing the leaves outside our window, and snuggling under an afghan that hands now gone to rest made to keep me warm …and cozy. I LOVE FALL THE BEST !
My favorite thing about Fall is the changing leaves. And the cooler air. And yummy fall food. …guess I listed 3 things….oh well 🙂
Hi, Susan!
My love of the autumn stems from the “earthiness” of the season. I love the concept of the harvest, because to me, it’s the same conceptually as wrangling in loved ones, planning holiday meals, and preparing for Christmas. In Los Angeles, where I live, i always mark Halloween as the first day that feels like true autumn. The air changes and I’m able to pull out all my old cashmere sweaters (holes and all!) and I begin to cook root vegetables, simmer cinnamon-based goods and cuddle up with my two pugs. Not to mention, I get to have my Susan Branch “Autumn” book on Display so all my loved ones can get inspired by the season too!
I love absolutely *everything* about fall! The colours, the smells, the cool evenings, the FOOD!
My favorite thing about the fall is food-related: hot chocolate made from scratch; banana bread; tea and scone parties with my cousins and friends (don’t forget the Devonshire Cream!); apple pies and cinnamon smells in the kitchen; soups and chowder weather; and enjoying it all while sitting wrapped in a warm blanket while watching an old movie. This year, I’ll be making new memories when my son returns home from his first semester at Sonoma State! Then,I’ll be making his fall favorites: spiced apple cider, cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches!
I love so many things about Fall, but my favorite is how the shorter days, cooler evenings bring the family indoors for more time together to play games, talk around the fire, enjoy a warm meal. So many blessings to be thankful, but family and friends are the top of the list.
I love it all—-Fall is my favorite season! I’d have to say that roasting hot dogs and s’mores over a bonfire rank high on the list.
Growing up in a neighborhood of mostly boys, Fall was a time for reinactments of horror movies (a variation of hide and seek). The monster would be buried in a pile of leaves, then rise to chase the rest of us. Then, as it became dark, the wonderful aromas of everyones’ dinner as I was called in to set the table.
This sounds like a game my brothers would have loved!
My favorite thing about fall is cuddling up under a quilt with my sweetie.
I love this quilt. I loved it the minute you posted it when you found it at the antique store on your train trip. I even commented on the blog that I couldn’t wait until you got back and posted it on line for sale. Now I get a chance to possibly win it. Yeah! Thanks for the chance.
I love absolutely EVERYTHING about fall – it is my most favorite time of the year. I love the chilly mornings and evenings, I love the colors and the leaves blowing around in the breeze, I love cooking soups and stews in the crockpot to come home to after a long day, I love caramel apples and I LOVE to go to the pumpkin patch with the kids!! Really, what is there not to love about fall?? Thank you Susan! 🙂
Changing the wreath on the door always marks the beginning of fall for me. Truly an exciting and anticipated event! Even though here in Central California it is still quite warm, we begin to have evenings and nights where the windows are open and you need a light cover on the bed. Heavenly!
Where to start? How about cold, crisp nights and being able to wear warm jammies? Or how about that tang of woodsmoke in the air in the late evening when you’re letting the dogs out for the last time? The delight, quite physical, when your eyes are treated to an amazing riot of color in the changing trees?
There is, quite simply, no better time of year!
If I had to pick just one favorite thing about Fall, it would have to be the colors. From the leaves to the mums to the pumpkins. Well, you get the idea. No matter how many pictures I take, I still cannot capture the colors as we see them with our eyes. I love standing under a golden leafed tree. It gives an absolutely beautiful glow.
My favorite thing about fall is a break in the beastly heat. I live in Fl. so we travel to the NC mountains every October for cooler weather, beautiful fall colors, and the apple and craft festivals!
My favorite thing about fall is the memory of getting to wear wool plaid or corduroy skirts, new sweaters and knee socks to school. As a retired teacher I saw the school year in Pennsylvania begin earlier and earlier each year, but I loved the to see little girls who still wore this “traditional outfit” no matter how warm the days were at the start of the school year.
Love,love the fall air, smells so crisp! I Go pumpkin picking with my fun grand kids!!! Seeing the changing colors always makes me nostalgic. I will make squash soup with yummy crusty bread ,snuggle into my new quilt( hint) and then stitch the night away!!!!!
mary lou hellman says:
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September 27, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Growing up in a neighborhood of mostly boys, Fall was a time for reinactments of horror movies (a variation of hide and seek). The monster would be buried in a pile of leaves, then rise to chase the rest of us. Then, as it became dark, the wonderful aromas of everyones’ dinner as I was called in to set the table.
Holy Cannoli! 326 responses/entries! That’s wonderful. Susan, you are so blessed with so many who love and appreciate you, aren’t you?! YES, you ARE! How adorable was the cinnamon toast little video! LOL! Anyway, there is SO much to love about Fall, do I have to pick only one thing? I LOVE…the fall leaves changing color….cooler sweater weather….snuggling under a blanket/quilt and reading a good book with a cup of coffee (in the a.m.) or tea (in the p.m.)…pumpkins….decorating in Fall colors from Labor Day through Thanksgiving! Better stop! Thanks for the contest. You are THE BEST!!! xoxo….kp
Oh, and I love seeing the school bus coming down our road, picking up the neighborhood children with their brand new school clothes and backpacks, excited for a new school year. Warms the cockles of my heart! hmmm……
Throwing kisses at you Karen!
There really is nothing about fall that I DON’T love … I adore the colors, I adore the scents (mulled cider is my favorite!), I love the hay bales & leaves, I love taking my two small boys to the pumpkin patch, I love the crisp mornings, I love the need to hang around my house in my long knit sweater, I love the pumpkin spice lattes, I love rainy days lit by candle light … really the only thing that would make fall even more perfect, is a yummy Susan Branch quilt to cuddle into with my hubby at night <3
I, too, love this time of year most. I love wrapping up in big sweaters and sitting outside in the crisp air. And the colors!! Sometimes in the fall I will take the long way home from work, riding some back roads just to look at the beautiful foliage. Love it!
As a runner, living in sweltering Dallas, Texas, I look forward to cooler, easier, faster runs. The path that I run on frequently has hot air balloons floating overhead around this time of year preparing for Plano, Texas’ hot air balloon festival. They are so close you can actually talk to some of the riders in the baskets.
Must be very beautiful!
In Palm Springs, CA, we are just finishing a long and very hot summer, so Fall is just the beginning of our beautiful “winter”. Fall is the time for reconnecting with our neighbors and friends. Winter is our time for hikes in the mountains, morning walks with my neighbors and meeting friends for coffee! Hello Fall, I have missed you!!!!!
I love the way the sun begins to get lower in the sky; the light is softer through the day. The sun sets quicker, and the colors are more intense just before.
What’s my favorite thing about fall? Just one? A thing or two came to mind as I was reading your latest post – then I saw your photos. “No, that’s it! No, maybe that!” But, in all reality, I think my favorite thing about fall is the COLORS! The deep russet reds, the golden yellows, the rusty oranges, the last of the greens can be found in a big pot of mums, leaves on the ground, my favorite quilt fabrics (I’ve always wanted to make a maple leaf quilt). Its a glorious time! Thanks for sharing your photos.
It’s very hard to choose just one — so I’ll semi-break the rules and say my favorite is all the smells of autumn: the cinnamon apples baking in the oven, the spice candles on the mantle, the pumpkin-veggie soup simmering on the stove, my mug of Earl Grey tea and toasted Irish soda bread — all the scents that make the house smell so cozy once again. Thank you for this idea, Susan, and for all of your posts. They are the highlight of my early morning every day!
Fall is definitely my favorite season and always has been, ever since I grew up in the western part of Massachusetts. We used to go to the Cape almost every summer on vacations. I loved it! Now I live in Montana which is a beautiful state too but I DO miss New England… and the beautiful change of seasons, which we do get here too, but not as special. So FALL…the cool, crisp, air, how the air smells so good, complete with the smell of
woodstove smoke, the way the sky looks, especially the high clouds, the beautiful leaves, especially maples! The cozy feeling you get, and staying in and baking with a fire going, and candles lit! I often think about how it was in the 1800’s, as you mentioned, and would love to go back there sometime. AND… Thanksgiving, speaking of going back! And having family around…. We just had our first grandchild born this past August, so it will be her first Thanksgiving! Anyway …everything about fall, which includes you Susan, because I know how much you love it too! Thank you for you, and all you do for your girlfriends! HAPPY FALL!! Donna:) P.S. I remember taking drives to the country and visiting places like Atkins Farms, etc. and buying maple sugar candy…yum!
Fall, to me is actually a feeling. New beginings-school starting, butterflies in the tummy….Shorter days- and a renewed urgency to be home, safe, sound and warm. All senses feel awake and heightened to sounds, smells, and the taste….. of comfort.
Sweaters!! What’s with the blue pumpkin, Susan?
I think Fall and Winter are the most beautiful seasons here in my home state of Michigan. I just love the coziness of everything that goes with Fall. Baking, putting flannel sheets on the beds, apple picking w/my family, having a fire, watching old movies, candle light, the smells of homemade soups and breads baking. This year I’m looking forward to the weekends when my daughter can make it home from college. She’s only 40 minutes away but it seems so far!! I like to surprise her with her favorite meals and treats!! She is also in the Eastern MI University Marching Band and we enjoy attending the home games. Yeaaa Band Moms!!! 🙂
My son also went to EMU !! 🙂
Going to the orchard to pick bushels of different varieties of apples to eat for snacks, bake into pies and crisps, cut into my oatmeal for breakfast and while I am at the orchard, picking the perfect pumpkin to put on the front porch along with the special fall decorations that I have to have out throughout the house by Labor Day at the latest. (not one thing but one sentence–does that count?)
🙂 Yes it counts. The judges around here are very lax.
My favorite thing in fall is to get out the quilts and put them in each room and on each bed – then it is time to snuggle under with the windows open!!
OMGoodness! What a generous give-away! Isn’t that the lovely quilt you picked up along the way??? I was really hoping to purchase that sweet thing! Oh well, maybe I will be the lucky one….. you never know. You have asked a hard question for this quilt give-away, as Fall is my most favorite season! There is so much I love about it! Certainly everything you named, but topping the list is being able to make casseroles again! And baked goods, and I love being able to have fires again! There nothing cozier than the smell of a nice wood fire! And the beauty of a drive along a tree lined road with all those rich fall colors to take in! What a fun blog you have!!
Yes, this is the quilt I just found, but decided to give away instead of put it on the site! Mmmmm casseroles!
OMGoodness! What a generous give-away! Isn’t that the lovely quilt you picked up along the way??? I was really hoping to purchase that sweet thing! Oh well, maybe I will be the lucky one….. you never know. You have asked a hard question for this quilt give-away, as Fall is my most favorite season! There is so much I love about it! Certainly everything you named, but topping the list is being able to make casseroles again! And baked goods, and I love being able to have fires again! There’s nothing cozier than the smell of a nice wood fire! And the beauty of a drive along a tree lined road with all those rich fall colors to take in! What a fun blog you have!!
I love fall because it is my daughters birthday…and the lovely colors, and coolness. Pumpkins! I love them. One of the colors that is more beautiful in nature than anywhere else.
Linda L. in Tx.
Stepping onto my front porch on a crisp, cool evening and smelling the woodsmoke from all the fireplaces in the neighborhood….beef stew & buttery mashed potatoes….fires & football…..cozy books….Louis Armstrong & Charles Trenet….warmth & love
thanks for this soul-enriching blog – love it!
So hard to choose – I LOVE this time of year…but I guess I’d have to say apples…apple cake, apple pie, apple dumplings, apple butter, applesauce, apple ANYTHING! What a wonderful quilt you’re giving away – I’ll promise to give it a good home! xo, Nan
Just what I’m hoping for!
Since I’m a quilter and have just been to a ‘Quilt Shop Hop’ of nine quilt shops – it’s the Fall colors of batik fabrics I just purchased to make a new quilt with a beautiful pumpkin/oak leaves/acorn medallion in the center.
BTW… I thankful for you, too…. I have the nicest hand written note from you back in 1999 on one of those little Laura Ashley hat note cards… I treasure it and will send you a picture of the Appliqued Hat Wallhanging I made out of your first line of fabrics from Springs Industries soon. I am so blessed!
Hi Maryann, that was nice to hear!!!
The best thing about Autumn is the soft, golden light of the sun in the late afternoon. How it bathes everything in a golden glow!
I love the colors- I love to take my child outside and watch him look at the pumpkins and see the fascination in his face as he investigates the tiny “tendrils”.I take lots and lots of pictures.
I love comfort food- banana bread, scalloped potatoes and ham, spiced cider.
Our annual pumpkin farm/petting zoo trip!
we live in the midwest~~~~~Wisconsin
I love everything about FALL!! My birthday is Sept. 29th (55 this year..yiks!!) so I Thank God for another year!! Its the start of cooler weather, pumpkins, spiced cider, fall leaves, etc. etc.. LOVE IT!!
Oh! What an absolutely beautiful post… and such a beautiful quilt! I would be SO ecstatic to be the lucky winner 🙂
What do I love most about Fall, you ask? Where do I begin!
I love the scent of musty leaves, the flicker of jack o’lanterns on Halloween night, the gleaming array of colors sprinkling the tree tops, the invigorating rush of an autumn wind reddening one’s cheeks. I love the sound of geese flapping their wings towards warmer places, curling up with a mug of warm cider and your Autumn book (♥), bonfire evenings and fall festival days…
I can safely attest I love everything about this wonderful time of year!
Fall is such a beautiful season; the colors of the leaves, pumpkin farms and wonderful apple cider, the slanting afternoon light, cozy fires and chili on the stovetop. It is all wonderful!
Well, there are so many reasons to love fall: the end of summer days that seem extra special as they are so fleeting; the harvest decorations that begin to adorn neighbors’ porches and lawns; all the pumpkin desserts that are awaiting being baked, yum; but most of all the enjoyment of that seasonal show Mother Nature puts on so spectacularly here in New England. Fall seems to be a time of year that especially showcases the beauty of this part of the country, can’t wait for the first leaves to turn!
How could a person ever pick their ONE favorite thing about fall?!! Fall is my favorite thing about fall, and everything it means to everyone everywhere. If it’s fall, I love it! Except Halloween, not a fan of Halloween. Anyhow…I’ll go with crisp air, smooth carmel, fresh picked apples, wool anything, corn stalks, mums, pumpkins, bittersweet, soup, woodstove fires, and my new favorite – a 1916 Victor Victrola! It was a gift from my dad that we bought at this past weekend’s antique flea market and I LOVE IT! Now, I just need to acquire some really great 78 records for it. Any suggestions?!!
They’re pretty easy to find in flea markets, but whether or not they play well is probably the biggest question. I probably have a bunch in my attic!
Sweaters and Pumpkins!! 🙂
P.S. Just moved and opened up one of my boxes and found some treasures….old Willard’s sent by USPS mail still with the little treats inside (stickers and bookmarks). You have been spreading joy and beauty for a long time. Do you realize that your life has been a gift to others? Remarkable.
It’s been my favorite thing to do since I was little and bought my mom a huge pink plastic comb with my allowance! You should be glad I went through my giant pink comb stage early in life!
I love everything about fall – the first hint of crispness in the air, walking through leaves, starting to bake again… love it.
Going to the Pick-your-own apple orchard, for fresh, crisp apples straight from the tree, taking them home to make huge batches of chunky applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar, mmm! Then freezing little boxes of applesauce so you can have that memory all winter!
The wonderful smells of apple crisp cooking in the crock pot, the first fire of the season in the woodstove, and apple butter bubbling away in the big old copper kettle over an open fire ……… these are a few of my favorite fall things!
just one? maybe cool crisp air or pumpkin pie or maybe just watching mother nature do her thing; or the birds flying south or the li’ ones trick or treating or maybe because christmas is just around the corner!! Oh not to forget sleeping under your favorite quilt! so many wonderous things…..
There are so many things to love about fall, but one of my favorites is the smell of soup simmering in the warm kitchen — maybe an apple crisp crisping in the oven — while the wind skirls and whirls leaves about the yard, and clouds gather, promising a bit of rain — or snow!
Don’t get us started on the first snow! Or we’ll go insane 🙂 !
I love fall and the change of season it brings. I am a cool weather person living in Florida of all places! I love the cool air and the leaves changing. The crispness of the leaves and the smells of autumn. It may not be as beautiful a season change down here in FL compared to the northern states with all their glorious splender but there is definitely a change in the air down here!
I love EVERYTHING about Fall!! Football games, apple picking, “sweater” weather, sunlight filtering through autumn-colored leaves. Smells of cinnamon and spice in the kitchen, soup by the fire. A good book. And that is just the beginning!
Fall is a busy time for us as we are farmers. Fall to me means canning apple butter with crabapples from my tree, and my house filled with the smells of baking buns. It means cross stiching in the dimly lit living room , listening to the boys talk on the radio as they work late into the night. It means hearty suppers driven out to the field, to share with the harvest crew, and we eat off the tailgate of the pick up that has taken my boys and I out to my husbands’ family working our land. It means watching my children playing out among the canola swaths in the fading sunlight, as flocks of Canada Geese fly above us. We work together to bring in the fruits of our labour, to savour another harvest. Fall is beautiful, I think here in Saskatchewan, God gives us a patchwork of gorgeous colors, smells, and sounds to carry us through a long cold winter. Its worth it.
Lovely to read about!
I came upon your blog after visiting the Paisley Pincushion. Reading your blog makes me want to visit Martha’s Vineyard. I don’t know much about the area and have never really desired to see it. After reading your blog though I’m putting that on my list of places I want to see as well as to take a train ride. I love fall for many reasons. During the summer months, you’re outside in the heat working in the yard, vacationing and trying to find cooler places to spend time such as the mountains camping. Cooler weather, means being inside with family, reading books, watching movies while wrapped in cozy blankets, sweaters, socks, boots, scarves, yummy chili, stews and soups, cornbread, rolls, Halloween. Fall is also the welcome mat for winter which brings with it Christmas and all it’s snow, family, festivities, presents, gatherings. And Winter is my favorite season!
For me it is the diminishing light…for some reason I love it. It makes me feel all cozy knowing that I can snuggle up on the sofa with a good book, a blanket, and a steaming cup of tea. I love the smells of fall; the cinnamon and spice, the apple and pumpkin scents from my baking, the delicious aroma of soup simmering on the stove top. This is my absolute favorite time of the year!!!!
The cool crisp air, pumpkins on the porch, chicken and dumplings cooking on top of the stove, and something yummy baking in the oven!
Fall means getting cozy, eating comfort foods, getting ready for the holidays. I cook seasonally, nothing better than the smells of long cooking roasts, soups and heavenly desserts! Getting wrapped up in a blanket on the couch with a good book is my idea of heaven!
Joan
It was my goal to learn how to make pie crust this year-and I did! So my most favorite thing about fall is baking delicious pies for my friends and family to enjoy!
What a fantastic goal! To master something so wonderful that will last you for the rest of your life! Love it!
My favorite thing about Fall is the walks I take with my mom. Every evening about 4:30 we take a walk at our local park and talk about our day or what we will bake over the weekend or anything really. There is nothing like walking and talking with my mom and the smell of the pine trees in the clean, crisp fresh air of a Fall evening. The best!
My favorite thing about fall is so easy (other than the fact Fall itself is my favorite), watching the leaves turn from their shades of green to glorious golds, reds and yellows! Growing up in Florida the only change of seasons I knew was hot and a little cooler with rain. ha! Even as a child I knew there was something my heart yearned for. But since you are in school during the Fall season I never really got to see the full glory of Fall except in pictures or movies.
Then when I married we moved to Alabama and I got to see the leaves change and feel the air change…then I knew this is what I always craved. I never get tired of it. In fact my daughter and I always make a “leaf” trip, sometimes a few hundred miles and lots of times all the way to New England! One of most memorable trips was when we were moving my daughter to NYC for an internship and it was fall. We stopped to take pictures at a beautiful little spot in the mountains, the leaves were magnificent and went for miles and miles of glorious colors. But then we noticed that even though we were miles from home or farm all we could smell on that crisp cool air was the delightful smell of pumpkins! Everywhere! This Florida girl did not even know that was possible. That moment will always be in my heart forever.
Yes most definitely the leaves, the glorious leaves.
Just beautiful!
Susan, my favorite thing about fall is the beautiful warm glow inside my home being made by the gorgeous colors of the autumn leaves outside. My other favorite thing is that my children (adults now) ask me to make my pumpkin bread. I’m not the best cook in the world so this really says something about my pumpkin bread. 🙂
Love,
Terry
Laughing! Very cute!
What’s not to love about fall? But the things I like best are pulling out the sweaters, cozy jammies and scarves for my family; baking fun things with pumpkin and apples and eating them in the living room while watching a movie; seeing things change–flora and fauna– even in suburban areas; gathering close with those I love best of all and giving thanks for all the amazing gifts!
Fall just gets to me with the explosion of color, the crispness in the air, the way the sky is blue-er than blue on the cool days, the leaves making their crunchy sounds as we walk on them, making my first pot of veggie soup for the season, along with some buttered bread, and maybe, just maybe, making a fire outside and roasting some hot dogs and sitting by the hot hot fire as the evening chill makes me shiver a wee bit. Oh yes, I DO love Fall!
Sitting on our Adirondack dock with my sweetheart at “Mike’s time” (4 PM…time for a pause in the day’s occupations to have a Mike’s hard lemonade with some peanuts in the shell) admiring the fall colors, above, as well as below in the reflection of the lake. And, a quiet kayak ride around the lake, wearing a cozy fleece, looking at camps, buttoned up for the winter. And watching the daily progression of fall colors down the mountain outside our windows at home. And of course, the “fall” foods…apples and pumpkin. And admiring my own “harvest”…opening my freezer and seeing my nice stack of containers of homemade pesto and bags of frozen blueberries to carry us through the winter months. oh yes, i could go on and on and on….
Sounds wonderful…just curious, where do you live?
I love absolutely EVERYTHING about Fall…………..beginning with the fact that it the harbinger of the beautiful snow to come! I savor ever delectable sight and scent. The juxtaposition of the vivid hues of oranges, reds, yellows and browns, against the flat light of evening…….with explosive purple blooms of fall against the backdrop! I love cool evenings walking the dogs, feeling the crunch of leaves beneath my feet as they release the delicious melange of “drying leaf and wet earth” scent. I love the family time gathered ’round a table laden with pork roast, roasted squash, home-baked bread, potatoes, gravy, home-made applesauce, and ginger cake…….all eaten while enjoying great company and conversation punctuated by a crackling fire that roars behind us. The piece-de-resistance is a final outing with the pups to say goodnight to the stars…….all the while drinking in the intoxicating odor of fireplace smoke mixed with clean, crisp, air! It is a season that tickles the senses *almost* as much as Christmas!
I love Fall!!!! It is my absolute favotite season. I love the smells and the leaves changing with all of the beautiful colors. I also love the food we eat in the Fall. We eat warm stews and soups, crusty bread, caramel apples and other warm and comforting foods.
Darn spell check. I meant that Fall is my *favorite* season.
Fall was when “our story” began–when my husband and I fell in love walking through the beautiful woods in the Shenandoah Valley. We celebrate Autumn now (as there are several pitter-pattering pairs of feet following us) by making routine trips to The Apple Store on top of a mountain ridge here in the Deep South and buying gallons of the best cider known to man. Bushels of apples, too. We plan cozy projects to take us through to Spring and this year–finally–we have a house with a fireplace for cozy evenings. And on the anniversary of our first date (in November) we’ll have tea for two–just as we did 13 years ago.
You are a lucky girl.
I love it when the patch of Chinese Lanterns in my back yard finally reaches the orange lantern stage! We’ve watched them spring up, show off a sweet little ivory star flower, develop a little green lantern and then, magic! the lantern turns bright orange. I bring bunches into the house and to the school Library where I get to be Librarian 🙂
“where I get to be a librarian” — ! So cute!
My favorite thing about fall? Hmmmmmm. Clear sunny warm days, cool nights, leaves as they change colors, smell of wood smoke, walking the dogs first thing in the morning-while still dark-and seeing them enjoy the new smells, farmer’s markets, outdoor flea markets, smell of pie baking, thinking every cookout is the last one, 80 degrees on September 27! I could go on and on and on.
One favorite thing about fall? Impossible! Do I start at the lengthening days, the warm afternoons of golden light, and the cooler evenings — and therefore an END to the heat and humidity of summer in upper North Georgia? Then there are the LEAVES, the changing color of which I can see by day, and can hear rustling in the wind when I take my dog Linus for a walk in the dark under an orange moon. Then there are the sharp, spicy smells of ripe pumpkins, chrysanthemums, burning piles of leaves, apple cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, and my very favorite seasonal candles (which I insist on burning year ’round anyway, I love fall so much)! It is, by far, my very favorite season. “Let the fall leaves fall and the cold snow snow and the rain rain rain ’till April: Our coats are warm and the pantry’s full and there’s cake upon the table.” (from Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes) 😀
Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes! xoxo
It is so hard to name just one thing that I love about Fall, since it is my absolute favorite season. But, if I had to narrow it down, it would be the wonderful smells that go along with Fall….the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon, and the smell of woodsmoke in the air. And, the beautiful, rich colors associated with this wonderful season known as Autumn!!! Love, love, love it!!!
Hi Susan
So thrilled to have the day off!! I am the woman who asked about the scissors….and I was so excited that you left a reply to this very ordinary gal. I so look forward to watching the movie with J Fontaine and C Grant with my 12 yr old daughter!! My daughter Sarah would like to share her favorite things about fall.
Hi susan my mom has mostly all of your books! She is crazy about your cooking!! Well, my favorite thing about fall is fruit picking, pumpkin carving, the beautiful colors of the trees, and that its not too warm and not too cold! And that you get to jump in a huge leaf pile when your done raking the leaves! The oven is running in the kitchen, and you smell such delicious things cooking. At night you can go for a walk when the air is crisp and all you have for a jacket is a sweatshirt! Sitting on the couch with blankets and pillows with hot cocoa and watching a movie. Up here in NH we have the Deerfield fair this weekend and its the best of all! And i just love going to that in the fall! Well that’s about it, i have a lot more things but i can’t name them all! Bye!
My first mother/daughter comment team . . . just wonderful! Thank you Sarah … 12 was my favorite age! Bye Theresa, she sounds wonderful!
oh, and i forgot one of my absolute favorites (how could I????)…hearing birds migrating…waiting and watching for them to appear, with the honks getting louder and louder…and finally spotting them, then watching them fly til they are just specks in the distance.
As a newly retired teacher, my favorite thing about fall is finally being able to enjoy all of the above mentioned delights of fall! However, my husband and I have always enjoyed a fall wedding anniversary–Oct. 11 (Columbus Day weekend is a popular wedding time for teachers, don’t you know?!)
You covered some of the best reasons to love fall 🙂 I love the feeling of readying the home for the winter ahead, the cozyness of the season by the fire, bringing out sweaters, curling up in a blanket (or quilt) and bringing out all the soup, pumpkin and apple recipes that are saved for this time of year!
My fall favorites…it’s the colors in the leaves! Mother Nature has the best color palette…the more colors in a single leaf, the better! And…can’t forget the acorns…the bigger, the better. I can’t help but pick these things up on my morning walk!!! Note to self: take a bag with you on those walks.
Fall is my favorite season and the first favorite thing that comes to mind is the cooler weather. Simple, but oh so true for the Southerners. We live in NE GA and are fortunate to get all four seasons in equal amounts. I could give you a LONG list of fall favorites though. 😉 Thank you for such a sweet and generous giveaway! Happy Fall!
I love the colors and the fragrance of Autumn. (If it would only come to Round Rock!) I’ve decorated my home and am ready to get my soup and chili recipes cooking! And it’s always more fun to bake on a chilly day and have a hot cup of tea with what comes out of the oven!
My favorite thing about the fall is homemade minestrone soup! My Mom made this soup for Halloween 1975 because an Italian police officer friend was going to be working that night and was coming over for his dinner break. Who knew that his partner that night would become my husband! My Mom made that soup every Halloween since, with me taking over that duty after her death in 1991. In all those years, I believe I only missed one Halloween without the soup. Now my husband is retired, but is working with the Army in Afghanistan. Although he won’t be home for Halloween, he will be home for Thanksgiving and you can be sure that I’ll have minestrone soup for him!
BTW, thank you so much for your blog. It makes me stop rushing and just enjoy.
Wonderful story Debi!
My favorite thing(s) about fall are the crisp, cool breezes which say that oppressive heat is gone, and the beautiful colors that signal the change of seasons. I still have a fondness for the “earthy” tones over all others – there’s nothing like the flaming red of a maple, or the oranges, greens and yellows of an oak. Chrysanthemums in all the fall colors are beautiful to see, too! ( Can you tell this is my absolute favorite time of year? I can’t come up with just one thing about it that delights!)
O my! I want to read every single comment i will have to go back to it because its almost bedtime!
I cannot name only one no way! I love the evenings drawing in, the nip in the air, the leaves under my feet ( i pick them up and take them to my office forgetting everything my Mother ever taught me about picking things up off the floor!) I love the comfort food and the Harvest festivals and the smell of bonfires and the excited feeling I get deep inside because there is sooo much to look forward to at this time of year! And of course love the Autumn book and my fave recipie for Pumpkin cheesecake!(Love this task! and the quilt!)
Pumpkin Cheeeeeeeesecake …… oh yes! With that ginger cookie crust!
Must add Susan that this was my shortened version! lol xx
Wow Susan how about that we must have written our comments about the same time thousands of miles apart! Isn’t the internet wonderful! Nite nite xx
Sweet dreams Nina!
hahaha! How do you DO that? Always having trouble with “shortened” version, as in, I don’t seem to manage it at all!
I loooove the smells of fall. When I open the door in the morning and get a whiff of the wonderful frangrance in the cool far air, I get so nostalgic for the years past when our children were young. They loved to jump in the leaves while we were trying to rake them up. The smells are wonderful again in late afternoon when people are burning leaves or have their fireplaces going strong. Those are the coziest, vegetable-soup-or-chili times of the year for me. A warm bulky sweater, warm socks and a snuggy scarf while walking around the yard looking at beautiful colored leaves is almost the most wonderful time of the year for me.
We are so blessed to appreciate all the gifts God bestows on us. To win the quilt will be my life’s dream. Thanks for the opportunity to share with you.
xoxo Janie.
The grocery store! Yes, in October it all changes. Suddenly there are bags and bags of walnuts and almonds piled at the entrance, end cap displays of brown sugar boxes and cinnamon tins, real live pumpkins and gourds in every shape and size, dates galore, caramels squares displayed with the apples. It all makes me giddy with the anticipation of holiday cooking – pumpkin pie, Grandma’s special date candy, Mom’s ‘holiday only’ cookie recipes. And, no, I never cheat and make those cookies any other time of the year! I can hardly wait.
It’s why they’re so special…I’m the same way, save my Grandma’s Molasses Cookies for NOW!
The smells of the earth, the colours and the greetings of the stars and birds.
My favorite thing about fall is to sit outside on a cool afternoon and watch the leaves flutter to the ground. Sometimes they catch in my hair or kiss me on the cheek. If I’m lucky, they even whisper in my ear that they will see me next year.
Been loving reading your blogs while you were on the train,love love the quilt you have for the give away, an love love love my sunflowers in bloom an now making seeds for me to plant next year, an love making pumpkin bread for my 10 grandkids, one loaf is not enough to send home with them they have to have 2 loaves, my new grandson Reese is only 4 months old so he will have to wait for next years. The leaves are already starting to change here in Sandy, Utah, this is the perfect time of the year, perfect weather too, thanks Susan for all you do !!!!!!!!
Thank you back Brenda!
Though our California version of fall is a lot milder, there’s still much that we share with the rest of the country – and I love every moment of it! Misty morning clouds that fade to blue skies by noon. Perfect picnic weather. Raking leaves in the golden light of late afternoon. The feeling of a dusty smooth apple in your hand as you pluck it from the tree. The aroma of cinnamon-sweet applesauce, wafting through the kitchen. The wind blowing a cascade of leaves across the lawn. Sprinkles of rainy days, here and there. Sneaking the savory first sip of stew from the spoon, while the pot’s still simmering on the stove. Following the pumpkin vines in the garden, under and over and around the hedges, like the wild Autumn version of an egg hunt, to find the little jack o’lanterns-to-be, hidden between the branches. The cooler days, when chimneys spout woodsmoke outside, while inside cookies are baking, and a basket of nuts are waiting on the table to be cracked. At the end of the day, wrapping up in a cozy blanket – a good book in your hand, a cup of tea by your elbow and a cat on your lap, listening to a little Gypsy jazz guitar and the crackling from the fireplace. What’s not to love about fall?
Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. To finally be able to open all the windows and smell the fresh, crisp air and to hear the crickets cherping at night and the rustle of the leaves still left on the branches outside the bedroom window. Aaaaaaaaa! Then there are the colors of Autumn, all yellows and reds and oranges everywhere. The farm stands all ablaze with potted mums and pumpkins, squash and hay bales to drag home for decorations. Every one and every thing seems to mellow out this time of year and it’s wonderful.
Fall! Autumn! My most favoritest time of the year. October, my most favorite month. But it is hard to separate out one –only one!– thing that makes it a favorite…. Temperature. Summer temps here rise to triple digit levels day after day with no rain in sight. 115 degrees! Yeh, hot! Fall brings the promise of cooler days, sweater days. Summer flowers are hot reds and yellows and oranges. Fall flowers and foliage are cooler golds and burgandys and pumpkin-y oranges. My colors! Yes, I look forward to heaving a sigh of relief from the heat of summer to the cosy temps and colors of autumn.
I live in Southern Cali- so many of the more overt signs of fall are more subtle here….but I have lived here a long time and so can sense the transitions- the leaves starting to turn color in several areas that I drive by and so notice. The fog in the morning on the hills- the cooling down of the weather so that my thoughts turn back to baking…and especially seeing pumpkins growing at my local community garden!
Leaves,pumpkins,haystacks with pumpkins piled on top,cool crisp air and someone you love holding your hand while you walk on crunchy leaves.
I change my Summer Book on the kitchen counter to the Autumn Book!!
LOL, perfect. Quick and to the point! 🙂
I love the way my animals put their noses in the air and breathe in the smells of autumn. They become more active in the fall. My horse loved to kick up her hoofs and whinny when the weather got brisk. The scent of fires burning and the cool crisp air delights all of our senses. My anniversary is in October and I get to spend time in Edgartown, M.V., Mass. enjoying the peacefulness of the Vineyard. Fall makes me start planning and gathering projects to do over the winter months. It is a wonderful time of reflection.
At Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, summer is foggy mornings and hot afternoons around the pool; a myriad of voices and laughter can be heard amongst the Redwoods from dawn to dark; and the woodpeckers interrupt conversations with their constant knocking. As summer ends and vacationers drive out of the woods…
…Autumn arrives! Suddenly there is quiet; solitude has arrived back at Mount Hermon. If you listen carefully, you can hear it…. peacefulness. The creek; the soft flutter of breezes, the morning song birds and the evening owls; the smell of ponderosa pines, bay, redwoods and the might oak. It’s a time to gather acorns and pumpkins and sip hot butternut squash soup. There’s a crispness to the air; fires burning in the chimneys and vibrant sunsets. Summer clothes are tucked away until next year and warm, cozy duvets dress our beds once again.
…Hmmmm time for some hot cocoa and a good book.
I love the leaves changing colour, the crisp air, harvesting the last of the veggie garden and the smell of wood burning in the fireplace. I always hope for a long fall, because I prefer that to a long winter.
Hubby and I enjoy all things fall….our favorite season of the year, which we look forward to especially when in the midst of HOT summer weather.
The colors, crackling leaves, watching squirrels search for “prizes” to hide in their nests, high school football games, wearing/needing a sweater. Also are hubby’s birthday, daughter’s birthday, son and his wife’s wedding anniversary, our wedding anniversary……….
We eat and cook differently in the fall….. love to make soups and stews. Baked acorn squash. I bake more than usual, even pies!
We love hot spiced cider and hot cocoa….they seem to taste better in the fall.
Thank you for doing this great giveaway! Even if I don’t win, I’ll get a lot of enjoyment from reading all the posts here!
Karen
Me too! Loving this!