The Magic of Autumn

Happy first day of fall! Every season has its wonders. The first soft snowfall of winter, the emerging colors and flowers of spring, lazy summer afternoons by the lake as the sun sets, and then… there is fall. Or, as I prefer to call it, Autumn. Autumn casts a quiet magic that tells us to stop and take a break. Breathe in the crisp air. Let the foggy mornings wrap around you. The deep golds, faded reds and muted shades of brown calm your soul. While spring is expectant, autumn is contemplative. I like contemplative. Autumn has a touch of magic to it.

Top 10 things I love about autumn:

Making soup again. Sure, you can make it in the summer, but that is just wrong. Soup is a fall/winter comfort food. The best thing about soup is that it can simmer for hours, releasing aromas that make your house feel warm and cozy. Bonus if you have warm homemade bread to go with it.

Fall festivals and markets. Celebrate the change of season with others by attending a fall market or Oktoberfest. Think pumpkins, hay bales, corn stalks, fresh squeezed apple juice, and festive music to go with it. Just last night we attended a fall party at a favorite local brewery. Great music, beer and company.

Pumpkin everything (to borrow an overused cliche). I know that you can buy canned pumpkin any time of the year, but there is just something about warm pumpkin bread in the fall. Every autumn we try to make a trip to a group of family-owned farms and get pumpkin doughnuts hot off the press. Sooo good! I am anxious to try a new recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles. Pumpkins and snickerdoodles sound like a pretty decadent combo to me.

Football. I did not grow up loving football, but I learned to enjoy it through osmosis. With a spouse that loves sports and four sons that all played football, I had no choice but to join in or be left behind. Now I have a decent understanding of the game and can appreciate what it contributes to the feeling of fall. It is especially fun when your grandson is playing, and his sister is one of the cheerleaders.

Being outdoors in the crisp sunshine collecting autumn Roadsidea. Take a walk and kick up some leaves. Breathe in the scents of autumn. Bring the vibrant colors and textures inside by gathering acorns, chestnuts, pinecones and colorful leaves to create a fall tablescape. One of my favorite rituals for fall is to gather these items to decorate for autumn inside and out.

A few items harvested from the garden and acorns gathered as “roadsidea” to decorate the entry table. I made “Simon #1” years ago.
Fall decorating. I made the upcycled pumpkins from old sweaters. Post here.

The autumn garden. Gardens are fabulous most of the year, but there is nothing better than the garden in the fall. The colors are vibrant and there is a quiet, calm in the shadows that tells you the work of watering and weeding is over. It is time to reap the last of the harvest. Pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers and corn stalks waiting to be gathered for the porch.

Fires and candlelight. Who doesn’t love pulling up to a cozy warm fire on a chilly day. We have a wood burning fireplace in our living room, which is one of the delights of winter. (Fortunately, we have an easy source for wood because son #2 co-owns a business that has wood trim ends as a by-product.) And then there are the fall slash fires outside. Nothing beats the sound of a crackling fire, but when we don’t have several hours to enjoy a real fire, we will light our gas fire pit outside. It begs you to sit and enjoy the last dregs of summer. It whispers of quiet fall evenings before the snow starts to fly. It is literally, the calm before the storm of winter sets in. September also commences the “bring on the candles” months.

A gas fire is a great way to spend a few autumn hours when it is still too dry for an outdoor fire.

Sweata Weatha. Personally, I could stay in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops all year long. It feels suffocating when I put on that first pair of long pants. But once I succumb, it is fun to bring out all of the comfy fall clothes. It is like meeting up with old friends again. One of my favorite clothing items are my beautiful, comfy wool socks that my dear friend makes for me. They are like wrapping your feet in a warm blanket of love.

Autumn travel. As much as I love being home to experience autumn, traveling this time of year feels mystical. It is also much less crowded after Labor Day and prices are more reasonable. When we travel in the fall, we try to choose places that are an autumn experience. Our top favorites have been leaf peeping in Vermont, the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, and most recently, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. All three of these lovely places were named in Country Living as the Best Fall Towns in the US for Foliage — Fall Foliage in the US (countryliving.com)

One of the many covered bridges we got to see on our trip to Vermont several years ago.

Apple harvest. It is so disappointing to bite into a soft apple. They need to be crisp, fresh and flavorful. Sure, you can get waxy apples all year long, but they are the absolute best in the fall picked right off of the tree. It is part of living by the seasons. Apples grow abundantly in our neck of the woods. My dad has a couple of apple trees on his property, so it is always an event to gather together to pick apples.

Happy fall y’all

The full on colorful, lovely crisp autumn days do not last long. In a blink of an eye, the frost settles over the garden and the weatherman forecasts snow. So, take time to revel in the beauty and wonders of this season made for the senses. Indulge yourself fully in the magic of autumn.

A moody autumn sunset.

10 comments on “The Magic of Autumn

  1. Your photos are great. I enjoy all seasons. Right now I’m enjoying the morning glow. Soon the leaves will turn color & the morning & evening light will be even more remarkable. Another tribute to this season is the fall harvest. Yesterday I enjoyed corn from the garden. Patty pan zucchini was harvested & transformed into pineapple zucchini for carrot muffins this winter. Soon tomatoes will be processed including the most amazing salsa. Growing up on a farm, the sight of combines working in the fields rings nostalgic. It’s still a busy time putting the garden & yard to bed but soon I’ll enjoy the winter – snow means slow.

    1. Hi Mona –
      The pineapple zucchini for carrot muffins sounds delicious! I have a friend that cans the best zucchini relish. So much good food this time of year. I am not ready for snow but I am ready for slow!

  2. I share your love of autumn, but I wish it lasted longer. And I too love my home made socks. Almost time to get mine out.
    My bestie and I are making sweater pumpkins soon. We have all the pieces needed including sweaters and socks from the second hand store.

    1. Hi Lynda –
      We are both so fortunate to be the recipient of those gorgeous, comfy wool socks. I thought of you and your soup nights when I was writing about soup for this post – such a wonderful idea. Yes… I wish autumn lasted longer too.

    1. Hi Fritz –
      I really enjoy trying to capture moments in a photo. It would be fun to take a class in that sometime. I hope you and your wife (and furry kids) enjoy your trip and I will look for some photos of it on your blog when you return.

  3. When I was younger, no season could beat summer… but now, fall is my favorite for many reasons. We still have great weather here and don’t have to share it with kids out of school and tourists 🙂 It’s also the only season that I decorate for and I’m looking forward to getting my big box of decorations out. I love your little pumpkins. I remember seeing them in craft magazines and thinking that I needed to hang on to some old, moth-eaten sweaters so I could make a few. Oops, I forgot. Your friend is so creative! Good for both of you for giving a new life to old items.

    1. Hi Janis –
      Now that you mention it, summer was my favorite season as a kid too. It is still a close second for me. The pumpkins were fun to make and super easy to do. If you decide to give them a try, I can send you the link for the instructions. Time to get that fall decoration box out!

  4. If you aren’t in love with fall before you read this blog you certainly will be afterwards! I was really able to feel the autumn magic in your words and pictures. They took me to such a colorful, cozy and tranquil place. They also inspired me to get out my fall decorations.
    It is funny you should mention soup I was just thinking the same thing. It reminded of the time when we went to a restaurant and had some delicious soup served in miniature pumpkin shells. It was such a fun presentation.
    The picture of the kids is adorable. They are so precious!
    Thanks for reminding me, now my plan today is to get outside and enjoy the fall weather while I find some roadsidea. Thank you, it is always a treat to read your blog!

    1. Hi Janie –
      So glad this was an inspirational autumn post. Yes, I remember the real pumpkin soup bowls…. so cool! Definitely time for fall decorating and soup.

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