Signs of Autumn

There is a beautiful spirit breathing now

Its mellow richness on the clustered trees, 

And, from a beaker full of richest dyes,

Pouring new glory on the autumn woods,

And dipping in warm light the pillared clouds. 

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

It is no secret to those who know me well that Autumn is my favorite season.  It does not even compare to the other three seasons, in my opinion, especially living in the Northeast.  The beautiful colors, the crisp cool air, the new beginnings and delicious foods - all of it is just perfection, in my opinion and I cherish this time of year.

There seems to be a lot of symbolism in the season of Autumn to me.  I associate it with wisdom and maturity, with positive change.  For me, it feels like the true beginning of the year.  It is a time when the earth's harvest is in plain sight and the knowledge of the Winter cold is on our minds.  It puts us in preparation mode and in our family, we begin gathering wood for our fireplace and thinking ahead to the cold months and what we will need.  I find myself wanting to plan more meals and check to see what supplies we have in our pantry.

 It brings me back into the kitchen and welcomes warm soups and winter vegetables into my home.  We begin baking more and eating out less.  I always like to cook but for some reason I like to cook more when the weather is chilly outside.  It gives me joy to know I can warm my loved ones with the food I make when they come home.

 Its a time when I LOVE to knit and crochet... the chill in the air makes the yarn seem even more yummy than it already is.  Planning projects for the upcoming months is fun and the children love helping me look for new patterns and designs to try.  I make more trips to the yarn store and spend too much time on Ravelry than usual. 

 I go on more walks.  I enjoy them more because there seems to be so many new and exciting things to discover.  We also seem to go to more events such as harvest festivals, farms, museums and parks. I'm not sure why this is... maybe because the temperature is more comfortable to me or because I am drawn to the sorts of events that take place this time of year.

I love having four distinct seasons where I live but if I could find a place that had Autumn all year round, I would go in a heartbeat.   

 And so seeing these beautiful signs of Autumn these last few weeks has given me such joy and it has trickled into my writing.  I have been inspired by the beauty that Mother Nature is showing me and find new ideas coming to me with more ease and experience less writer's block than usual.

Isn't it amazing how the earth can transform us in such a way?