The Shed Notebook: Life Starts All Over Again

Just a week ago we were hunkered down in the house avoiding hot, hot weather and smoke filled skies from surrouding wildfires. Then all of a sudden cool air moved in, The skies cleared. I dug out warm socks in the morning. Rain fell. Friends built fires and turned on furnances. Just like that life started all over again, The crisp of fall had arrived.

Each season has unique features, but fall is the season that life starts all over again for me. Part of the reason for this was being a teacher for so many years. A new school year started in fall. That meant new students, new school supplies, new teacher clothes, and new hope for a successful year,

Now that I am retired I enjoy fall even more. Summer flowers begin to fade, summer bounty gets preserved for winter meals, the air is fresher. It is cooler working outside, and the birds return for autumn feeding.  It is time to bring in a bright bouquet of mums and end the day around a fire sipping warm beverages while snuggling in hooded sweatshirts. It is time for vacations to places of beauty that are quiet and not so full of people. It is also returning to the warm comfort of home,

Life starts again in my creative life in the fall. I want to crack open a new journal and a new pen and write more, find time to start creative projects, and be inspired by other creative people. Fall is the time I love to tackle the stack of  books I've wanted to read. Give me a good cup of coffee, a soft chair, a good book, and a warm blanket and I am set.

I also love the foods of fall that bring comfort and fill the house with delicious smells. I am ready for hearty soups, grilled vegetables that have been harvested, Sunday dinners with oven roasted meals, warm sweet breads, and the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg. 

I do appreciate different parts of all seasons. I am pleased I live in a place with four distinct seasons, so know that I don't hole up in the house the rest of year and pout until the first leaf changes. Our first leaves haven't even turned yet, but soon the smell of burning leaves, outdoor fires, and ripened apples will surround us. I am ready.