Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Thank You and Autumn

First I wanted to Thank You all for your very kind words about my Bella sweater.  I have to say you made me blush!  And I have to say that she is even better in person, I am quite in love with her at the moment.  All of your lovely, encouraging words just warmed my heart.

Now onto this post.  As you know I am in LOVE with Autumn.  It has always been my favorite season, even when I was a little girl.  I loved how the days got shorter, the changing colors of the trees, raking leaves and the smell in the air.  If I close my eyes right now I can imagine walking home from school, with leaves crunching under my feet.  When I attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan I lived in the dorm furthest from the school.  We had a shortcut through a small wooded area that was really beautiful.  In the Fall it was spectacular, the leaves were stunning on the tress and on the dirt pathway.  When I lived in Virginia for 18 months after college I experienced two of the most spectacular of Autumn's, they were long and breathtakingly beautiful.  We used to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway every weekend just to look at all the gorgeous colors.

I have lived in Florida for the better part 26 years.  There have been a few quick stays in Wisconsin, but for the most part I have been here.  Every single Autumn I feel like I am out of place, like I really need to be up north enjoying Autumn and all of her dramatic beauty.   So I try and notice the subtle changes here, because they are there if you look for them.  


Sunflowers are back at the market and on my table.
 

The berries on my Holly tree are just beginning to have a hint of color change, soon they will be beautiful red.
 

The leaves on the trees are as green as can be, but sometimes they fall off and turn yellowish while on the ground.
 



The gorgeous full moon as it sets in the early, misty morning.


My wonderful friend Lynda who lives in North Carolina, sends me leaves every year.  She knows I am in love with Autumn.  She presses the leaves for a year so they are ready for me come September.  I look so forward to my envelope of leaves every year.
 

 A quick trip to the pumpkin patch always lifts my Autumn dull-drums.   My boys used to get so excited when they visited the pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin for our front porch.


We can't carve our pumpkins until the afternoon of Halloween, down here they get mushy and filled with mold if we carve them too early.  

The temperature is slowly getting cooler.  In the mornings and evenings you can even stand to be outside without melting.  The days are getting shorter,  darkness arriving earlier every day.  Yesterday was 89 degrees out, but by the end of this week the high is supposed to be in the low 70's.  I am so ready.

Hope you are enjoying Autumn where you live, unless of course you are enjoying Spring.

39 comments:

Karen said...

Meredith, the moon photos are spectacular! Just gorgeous. I love that your friend sends you leaves in the fall. Autumn is my favorite month, too. It's been beautiful here this year. Sometimes we get an early snow and the leaves don't get a chance to come to full colors. But this year it's been beautiful.

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Meredith, I could send you a Santa's bag of leaves if you would like!!! hahaha. It's really starting to get chilly here, but I can't complain because we have had an amazing fall/Indian summer. Like the pumpkins, hope you got one! I love to make toasted pumpkins seeds with salt. Yummy.
Hope you get some cooler weather soon.
Love the holly tree's berries : ) too
xoRobin

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh . . . your setting moon pictures are spectacular!!!

Autumn has always been my favorite season too.

Lillie and Moss said...

What a sweet gesture your friend press and send you fall color leaves! Fall has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. I was like you....patiently waiting. Just hang in there...it's coming your way. Today, as the day goes on the colder its getting. Just the morning we were up in the 70's but now its dropping to 50's and 40's in some areas!
Gorgeous photos of the moon...Stunning!
Hugs to you....Shari

Bridget said...

You are the only person besides myself who I've ever heard of that likes it when the days get shorter ...

Between Me and You said...

Talk about 'Shoot The Moon' - you did indeed!Stunning pics and I'm now off to have a look at Bella.Our clocks change on Sunday then it's downhill all the way - I'm not very good at dark days. Lots of Love. x

RURAL said...

It's still a beautiful world that you live in, but I can understand not wanting it to be hot all the time.

Drop by here for a few days, it's cooler, colorful, and we even have some atmospheric fog going on.

Oh, and your pumpkin is in the fields just waiting for you to pick it, and it won't go moldy.

Jen

Danette Bartelmay said...

I love your beautiful pictures Meredith! How lovely to have a friend who sends you Fall leaves every year. I love that! It has rained here all day today. We are definitely in the midst of an Illinois Autumn. You would love it. The weather is a bit cooler than I would prefer ~ already in the 40's or 50's. I personally prefer Good Ole Summertime. But this time of year IS beautiful.
Have a lovely day,
Danette
P.S.
You blog with Neicee from Insomniac With a Hook, right? For some reason I cannot get onto her blog. It tells me it is private and I have to be invited. Will you contact her for me and ask her to "invite" me? Thanks so much!

linda said...

Love your photo's Meredith that moon is spectacular! how very thoughtful of your friend to send you leaves every year, I love the colours of Autumn but not the cold weather, we have been lucky so far as it's been exceptionally mild but I know the cold weather will be upon us soon and I'm not looking forward to that. :)

Elizabeth said...

I understand! I have lived all my life in Florida! I love fall and Winter and always feel that I am missing out on the leaves and snow!

Gillian Roe said...

Hello! Thank you for your lovely comments on my blog, they are much appreciated. I have to say your moon photos are simply stunning - that moon seems to be huge! Incredible. And just love the idea of receiving a parcel of pressed leaves - the turning and falling of leaves is one of the joys of autumn for me.

I like the tradition you seem to have in the US for buying your pumpkins from a pumpkin patch. Here, we just buy them from the supermarket. Your tradition is much prettier! x

Jennifer Hays said...

Beautiful photos. I love the tradition you have with your friend to get the leaves, that's wonderful! Fall is my favorite season too. I grew up in NY and fall there is very different from fall in NM, but it's still really pretty here and you can see lots of changes.

kathy b said...

Your moon shots are amazing Mere!!!!

We carve the pumpkins late too. I may carve a few days early this year just to enjoy Jack 0

Joy said...

Such beautiful pics Meredith, and your moon shots are absolutely fab! I love to see the gorgeous autumn colours too, and I think it's such a wonderful thing for your friend to send you the leaves each year - now how thoughtful is that - what a wonderful friend!
Warm hugs, Joy xo

Gracie Saylor said...

Thank you for helping me enjoy your autumn, Meredith! Your photos are wonderful and your narrative insightful. The time I lived in San Diego was so seasonally confusing to me, so different from MA, and MO, which helps me appreciate what you miss. I love that your friend sends you leaves in the fall, too :)
I have yet to go pumpkin shopping, but I think I want to find some small ones to enjoy as fall decorations before I cook them.
Love with hugs,
Gracie

Pradeepa said...

I LOVE autumn, but sadly Delhi dosen't know any other season other than summer and winter. My first and the only autumn experience was about 6 years ago when I went to UK. I was mesmerized by all those lovely colors around me. It was too good. Sigh!

Unknown said...

I totally agree with your love of "proper" northern autumns - I grew up in northwest Pennsylvania, with stunning autumn colours, and living in the UK simply doesn't offer me the same vibrant reds and oranges. I miss them so! I gathered leaves from home years ago when we visited in October, did the old practice of ironing them in wax paper (!) and I still have them here in England perfectly preserved! Chrissie x

Tanna said...

I love that your friend, Lynda, sends you leaves each fall. It is harder to see fall in the deep South... but, you are so right, the subtle changes are there. blessings ~ tanna

Toni said...

I love the packet of leaves! That is so sweet!

I've lived with the seasons my entire life, and just love the changes. My husband is from southern California and doesn't enjoy it nearly as much. I keep trying to explain the idea of "seasonal" fruit to him, but when you grow up with things growing year round, it's hard. Maybe I should have him help with the garden more so he can appreciate the biggest perk of winter: the bugs die.

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

I love fall, too. :)

Love the love pictures....the sunflower is just awesome!

Hugs sweet friend

Betsy said...

Beautiful photos Meredith. You have an amazing friend that thinks of you a YEAR in advance to send you flowers. WOW! I admit, I can't imagine life without a fall as I lived in Nebraska before moving to Washington. Both places have distinctive seasons, but I would love for a time to live in the south where there is no snow. Snow is a 4 letter word in my life and I detest it. Maybe someday.
Meanwhile, you have a way with words to let us know of your great love for autumn.
Blessings,
Betsy

Susanne Tyree said...

I have been to Florida twice in my lifetime, once in the summer and the second time was in the winter. I think I could handle winter better down there. My friend who lives in Ft. Myers says it is so unbearably hot and there is grass mowing all year long. I do not know if I could stand that. I would have to live in a condo I believe, where the yard work is taken care of by someone else. I do enjoy planting and gardening, but anymore I just don't have the time for any of that. I do the minimum because the maximum chores have ruled my life and will continue to do so from here on in. As you know, we give up our warmer months for gloomy and bitter cold days. The snow is beautiful if you don't have to get out in it and travel....then there is always the sleet and ice and that is a whole other ballgame. I think your friend sending you the more beautiful signs of the season changes is so nice of her. My friend misses the snow, she is originally from Southwestern Ohio. Her hubby is a Florida man, they had moved to N. Carolina and he hated it. She, on the other hand loved it, but they ended up moving back to Florida to build another new house. Like you, she misses the change of seasons.
(((HUGS))) Susanne :)

Pammy Sue said...

I love the pictures you took of the moon! So pretty and just plain cool. That's a neat thing your friend does sending you those autumn leaves. What a great idea.

Mrs. Micawber said...

It was in the low 20s yesterday morning and today ... Brrrr! But the air smells amazing.

What a glorious moon and such amazing photos of it! And your leaves are lovely - both the ones from Lydia and your own finds.

Enjoy your Autumn and watch out for all the snowbirds from Wisconsin - this is the time of year they tend to start migrating. (Strangely enough they prefer your warm weather to our cold season.) :)

EMMA said...

How lovely that your friend sends you leaves! I love autumn too. We don't have pumpkin patches here in Chamonix (or France I think) and my american friends here are always telling me to start one on a big piece of land we have. We were just recently invited to a french dinner party and I brought along a pumpkin pie. Everyone seemed really surprised that it actually taste good, here it's strictly a savory dish!!
Hi to Max!

Linda said...

I have to agree with many of the other posting comments, those setting moon photo's are beautiful. I am in the UK and we've had a gorgeous summer this year and some spectacular sunny Autumn days. This week has seen the arrival of rain, it has rained for four days here. Rain reminds me of my daughter, she was swinging high on a play swing in the park, the rain fell upon her upturned face and she was laughing. Later at bedtime we talked about our day, she told me about the aeroplane rain when she was on the play swing.

Your sunflowers are so bright and cheerful to me after all the rain here this week.

Thank you for your visit too

kathyinozarks said...

Oh I love autumn too-my favorite season for sure. I love that your friend sends you leaves-how special is that? Your moon photos are awesome! I haven't spent time in Florida-so I never had thought about your state not getting an autumn-I would really miss that too-but glad you are finding signs of it.Give a hug to Max

Ana BC said...

Lovely photos!

Teresa Kasner said...

What a nice friend to send you fall leaves like that. But you're so adorable that I know why you engender such devotion. :-) That last photo of the moon took my breath away.. LOVE it! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Unknown said...

Bella certainly is beautiful! Great job! We have a little bit in common! I live in West Michigan and my daughter lives in Boynton Beach, FL! Wave hi to her for me when she gets back Friday, OK? ;)

Ladybird Diaries said...

I adore autumn too! it is such a lovely season. How sweet of your friend to send you the leaves. I love those photographs of the moon.
Marianne x

forgetmenotsblue said...

Wow the moon photographs are spectacular really amazing. What a lovely thought to send the leaves! X

Annie Cholewa said...

How wonderful to have a friend who sends you autumn leaves :)

I need to live where there are four distinct seasons ... I couldn't cope with your Floridian heat!

Lynne said...

Still in the 80's here too, but finally turning the corner in the next few days. Those are some great Harvest moon pictures, and the leaves are such a special gift. I have lots on the ground in my front yard right now, you can have all you want!

Terriea Kwong said...

How sweet of your friend sending you leaves. A good friendship of both places. The leaves are awesome. For a eco print freak me I find them treasures too.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I feel the same way about Autumn, even though I grew up in the South and it was usually hot, sometimes even at Christmas time, at least we still did get a sense of Fall. Here, everything just looks the same. This is the first October I recall where it has actually cooled off. I wonder what winter will be like. Today was muggy and cloudy. I sure don't want rain -- not that I don't like rain, but here it is such a problem, and we have a leaky roof that the landlord has never fixed. Who knows what would happen with a heavy downpour. Those moon shots are spectacular! Did you take them? Wow! Just gorgeous. I have been using my iPhone for all my pictures. Don't even use my point and shoot camera and only take out the Canon when I want to take a distant shot. My aunt in OH sent me pressed leaves one time. I must find that envelope. So nice of your friend to send them every year. They are gorgeous. A friend's daughter graduated from Kalamazoo a few years ago. Hugs and blessings, Tammy

gaia said...

Gorgeous photos! Especially the moon photos....

Sue Pinner said...

Hi Meredith...another sleepless night for me 3 in the morning yet again! Exhausting?...how true.
What a lovely thing to do every year, press and send you leaves, how special.
Hope you manage a better night than me
.hugs x

Rose Red said...

It has been raining almost non-stop for the last three days, so I can't say honestly right now I am enjoying spring - but I sure am looking forward to summer!!