Fall Favorites

Fresh Starts - new academic years are more invigorating to me than the beginning of the calendar year. This year we sent our fourth daughter to Hillsdale, freshly starting her collegiate experience.






Leaves - yellow patches showed up first in our backyard of trees. Blogging buddy, Carol, has an especially beautiful picture of yellow. Even before the temperatures got cooler the leaves began to manifest the change of the season. Right now the red leaves on our many dogwoods are the prettiest to me.


Football - a confession....I actually like watching football. Hubby and both brothers played highschool and one year of college ball. Professional teams do not interest me.


Festivals - not being a crowd lover, I tend to shy away from attending festivals. Especially when my children were little, I hated taking them to festivals: too many temptations to overeat and spend money on unnecessary trinkets, or temporarily *losing* a child, which happened to me more than once :( Of late, I have gone to a couple....for historical interests :)

Cooler Temps - not only is the dropping mercury amenable for outdoor activities, but I also like covering up with lots of blankets and sleeping in a cool room. Update: as of 10/27 I still havent turned on the heat.

Sweaters - can be fashion statements, but I've yet to knit one. Do you wear seasonal sweaters?


Pumpkins - in addition to Jack-O-Lanterns, I love food made with fresh pumpkin, especially soup. Here's a link to my recipe.





Reformation Day - such a better holiday than the scary one on the 31st. One of my favorite books is Ladies of the Reformation by J. H. Alexander. I just finished reading about Marguerite de Valois.





Politics - it's in my blood, since I started knocking on doors for a candidate when I was a mere thirteen years old. LOTS of stories here.





Thanksgiving - food, family, and the signal that Christmas (winter) is just around the corner. I never tire of the ritual of gathering the family for special meals. Here's a link to last year's celebration. During Thanksgiving weekend, I refuse to decorate for Christmas and decline opportunites to shop at reduced prices. You may find me working on a list though :)