Autumn is my time of year!

(Thanks for the photoshop Glenda!)

I was born in early autumn, late September, just when the leaves are starting to change.  I always wanted my birthday cake to be decorated in Fall colors with autumn leaves...not roses or anything else.  I've often wondered if the time I was born had anything to do with my affinity for this time of year...because honestly I look forward to it all year long.

What do I love about it? Lots of things from the riot of colors and smells, to the cooler weather, to the odd new beginnings of back to school time.

I know I'm a bit different, but as a kid, I was always excited for school to begin each Fall.  I loved to learn and I did well in the classroom environment.  Oh, of course I liked the freewheeling days of summer, but I really liked the structure of school as well.  As I got older, I also looked forward to hanging with my particular girl posse at school during the week (as well as on weekends). Even as a professor I love the feeling of possibility that came with new students and the start of school. This year was a little weird, as I retired, but I am loving hearing about my older grand daughter's new adventures in middle school and the younger one's tales of the second grade.

I look forward to the trees changing color.  The red of the maples, the yellow elms and aspens, the golden oaks...all mixed with greens and browns.  We have some trees in our backyard now and I love getting up on an autumn morning and looking to see how much more they have changed.  I really missed the color palette of fall when I lived in the south and am glad to be where I can watch it happening every year again.

A long with the colors, there is, randomly, the smoky smell of burning leaves or an evening bonfire.  But that isn't the only familiar autumn smell that I like. The smell and taste of pumpkin spice anything is wonderful to me. Apple cider, fresh apple sauce and homemade apple pie likewise.  Also with cooler weather, I am more inclined to bake...fresh muffins baking, fresh cookies out of the oven...and especially the smell of homemade bread rising, baking and cooling mark autumn for me.

Cooler weather is good for other things too...outdoor workouts, especially runs are exponentially more comfortable. I'm generally speedier on the run in the October and November before it gets too snowy or slippery to spend as much time outside.

And then there are the Fall holidays....Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween is an obvious favorite given our love of costumes!  And for many years we have found at least one Halloween race to run in costume.  This year, like last year it will be the Pumpkin Run in Oconomowoc...because it fits our schedule.

Jake Blues of the Blues Brothers at last year's Pumpkin Run

Thanksgiving is different for us.  Our kids generally spend it with their Dad and Step-Mom.  And we usually run a Thanksgiving race and then help edit photos from the race.  We celebrate with the kiddos later in the weekend.  But these traditions are comfortable and wonderful for us.

Last year we ran a Thanksgiving race in Boulder City, NV (and edited at a distance)

As you can see, sometimes I even celebrate my favorite season in my costume!  So there it is, autumn is my favorite....what's yours?