Top 10 reasons I absolutely LOVE Autumn

In no particular order, here are the top 10 reasons why I Love the fall:

1. Our animals fur always gets so lush and soft. In particular, my cats fur is just so soft and fluffy I want to surround myself with her coat and drift away to her unyielding and hypnotic purr.
2. The color of the trees as they change from their electric green to the mustard yellow, burnt sienna, deep mahogany, and soft brown. I love the way the sunset hits the trees and a warm reddish-orange glow illuminates the horizon.
   
3. The cooler evenings, especially when we can sit out in the back yard and not sweat at 6:00 in the evening. I also love that we can leave the windows open during the day and not have to use the air conditioner to keep the house below 80 degrees.
4. We get to use our fireplace! I Love, love, LOVE having a fire going in the early evening just around dusk when we can just sit relax and snuggle together in front of the fire while enjoying our cup of hot cocoa, tea, or coffee. (Josie also loves to sit in front of the fireplace too, she is just so sweet laying there, peaceful as can be.)
5. Sweaters! I have too many sweaters to count! We live in a city where it only gets below 70 degrees maybe 3 months out of the year, if that. But for some reason I can't get enough of sweaters. That is why I think I would do well on the East coast, or a cooler climate where I can properly utilize the sweaters which I have so vigorously collected.
6. I love the change in the air, particularly the smell. There is just something about the subtle smell of woodsmoke floating on the crisp and cool air which brings a peaceful yet invigorated feeing throughout my senses. Sometimes it makes me think of my old neighborhood in the mountains where hundred foot pine trees would gracefully litter our yard with needles and sap and my sister and I would play on our rope swing in the front yard, and the leaves would float around us while we swung our cares away.
7. Harvest! I have never been a country girl, nor have I ever had the inkling to live on a farm, but I just enjoy the whole apple cider, pumpkin patch, log cabin experience! When I was younger, we used to go to this place called Apple Hill, and I remember having the best time. There is just something so safe and comforting about a log cabin...
8. I absolutely love carving pumpkins! I don't care that they are so messy and a bit smelly, I have the best time sitting with my friends and family talking and making "art". sometimes we get some really cool masterpieces. Plus, I enjoy the salted and roasted pumpkin seeds that come after the mess!
9. Halloween! Need I say more? What can get better than dressing up, giving little monsters, goblins, princesses, fairies, and super heroes a bunch of sugary treats and sending them on their merry way! Since I am a costumer, I love making Tony and I fun costumes (although, he gets stuck in his "I wanna be a pirate" rut) and having our friends over for our now annual Halloween party!
10. After a hot summer, I don't think there is anything better than finally putting blankets on the bed. There is just something so relaxing about snuggling deep into blankets of down-feathers, wrapping our freezing feet together, and drifting off into a blissful sleep.
11. Ok, I lied. I actually have one more favorite. I love camping in the fall. There is just something about sitting outside around a camp fire all bundled up, while roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories and looking up at the star sprinkled sky; then crawling into the tent and snuggling into our sleeping bag and drifting off while the crickets chirp the night away.

I urge everyone to take the time and think about their favorite things about the seasons, it reminds us how blessed we are to be able to experience all these things!