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“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” —William Cullen Bryant
The early weeks of fall are something I thoroughly look forward to each and every year. The weather is warm enough to simply wear a light sweater and the colors are exquisitely beautiful, more so than if we had designed it ourselves.
While our lives pick up their pace and begin to settle into regular grooves and routines, the comfort of the temperate weather is soothing and serene. Fall seems to ask nothing more from us than to enjoy, appreciate and remember the journey that helped us arrive in October.
With the celebration of the arrival of October, I wanted to share with you some twenty of my favorite ways to revel in this charm-filled month. For the Pacific Northwest, October is the last month of farmers markets until the next spring, and there is still enough daylight to sit outside in the evening to enjoy a conversation and let the dogs romp in the yard. And you know, I think that is what the changing of seasons allows us to do more readily than if we lived perpetually in one season year round – have gratitude, contemplate and then move forward with the new found knowledge we’ve acquired. After all, it will be twelve months before we see this lovely time of year again.
1. Pull out the scarves. With just a hint of chill, a heavy coat is still not required, but a beautiful scarf strikes the perfect balance of warmth and style.
2. Pick out pumpkins of all shapes, colors and sizes. My favorite are Cinderella pumpkins – perhaps because of the fairy tale, perhaps their bright orange/red hue – whatever it is, I can’t help but smile.
3. Visit your farmers’ market and pick up some apples for a homemade pie, tart or crisp. And don’t forget the ice cream!
4. Turn the yearly chore of leave raking into a fun activity. Invite friends and family, and then serve snacks, hot cocoa and a warm fire afterwards.
5. Make homemade maple bars.
6. Purchase some mums for your porch.
7. Sip apple cider.
8. Capture the brilliant colors with your camera, or simple take a walk and savor the beauty
9. Stock up on a brilliant books with the start of the strongest season in publishing.
10. Enjoy an outdoor sporting event – soccer, football, etc. – before it gets too cold.
11. Gather the firewood and pinecones if you have a fireplace. And plan a celebratory first fire of the season full of a delicious meal, movie, dinner party, or whatever you most enjoy.
12. Welcome fall colors into your wardrobe.
13. Begin planning a fun and creative Halloween costume.
14. Turn your sanctuary into a home of comfort.
15. Boots! It’s finally time to wear them again.
16. Capture the last beautiful daylight of the season.
17. Enjoy more pumpkin everything (the recipe to my favorite pumpkin chip cookies)!
18. Watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
19. Add a new long-sleeve wrap dress to your closet (use promo code FALL30 to save 30% off all DVF wrap dresses).
20. Stock up on bubble bath.
And now, I am most curious. What do you look forward to as October begins? Please, do share.
What a lovely post! I adore fall, and enjoyed finding a like-minded person [:
What I look forward to most in October, is the beginning of the semester. In just a few short weeks, I’m starting college [: I simply can’t wait!
We’ve got fall travel on our calendar…oh yes, and caramel apples.
Gorgeous post…..so many reasons to love October. Love Gwennies outfit and those pumpkin truffles….sinfully good!
I just love your post…so many reasons to love the simple pleasures….
Lovely post, Shannon. I am also a big fan of autumn, but I much prefer this season back at home in Poland, then in London. Autumn in London is cold, windy and wet, whereas in Poland is warm, colourful and with less rain.
I love lighting up candles in the afternoon and evenings (as they get longer now), having even more cups of tea in a day, and picking up conkers!
Beautiful post! the thing that I relish the most abt fall is dark afternoons and evenings, i love taking slow walk then and city seems so cozy to me 🙂
Love this post – again. Before I never actually enjoyed autumn, I considered it as a bothering circumstance on top of school etc. But last year in the beginning of November me and my boyfriend celebrated our first anniversary in Dusseldorf, Germany and we were very lucky with the weather: sunshine, beautiful colors everywhere and mild temperature. Since then I adore Autumn and I can’t wait our trip this year to Berlin (yes, I love Germany) in the end of Autumn
When I’m tempted to hanker after the balmy days of Summer, now over, I recite to myself Keats’ immortal ‘Ode to Autumn’ to remind myself just what a lovely season this is! Hope the beauty of these lines lifts your spirits too!:
‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, –
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.’
Bonne fin de semaine, everyone! xx
I really enjoyed reading this! Thank you!
Thank you for stopping by and for saying hello. 🙂