It's officially fall. The weather is crisp, the air is clear, and it smells like wood and smoke. The trees have burst into hundreds of different colors, and trudging in the leaves makes a beautiful autumn sound. I walked home today, and really tried to take in all of the wonderful images nature offered. I know I sound completely ridiculous, but just peer out your window--a few glances should allow you the same experience.

...Granted, in a few weeks I'll have the heat turned on, be wearing my flannel pjs (wishing they made ones with booties for adults) and drinking hot tea or cocoa almost every night. I'll have to find something to use to insolate the bottom of my sliding glass door (I used cotton stuffed pants last year, as I couldn't find any of those snake-looking insulators) and will complain about how upset I am that I don't have a fireplace.

...walking today I remembered all the times as a kid that we would rake the lawn (at least 2 times a season) and how I would jump into the big leaf piles and bury myself, making my parents laugh, and then we'd have to rake all over again (this was pre-lyme disease mania). We would come back into the house, blisters on our hands, sweaty and tired, and have hot cocoa or cider, maybe watch a movie, or make some homemade chicken noodle soup. So many great family moments in the cooler weather, and I miss them.

...You know, today I actually thought that it would be sad to live near an ocean because you'd miss all this autumn splendor. For those of you that know how very much I love the beach, particularly at sunset when all the colors blend in the horizon like a bold watercolor painting--this was a huge realization. I guess I always knew that I loved living where I could experience all of the seasons, but nature is doing really well this year with it's display. I'm hoping when time comes for the next display, they'll be enough snow here so I can make a Calvin and Hobbes snowman on my balcony :)

Well, I suppose that's enough ranting for now. Sometimes you just want to spill out all of the thoughts in your head, but it's not simply enough to write them down on a piece of paper that nobody will read...