Yesterday was the first day of fall and, here in Portland, the weather was crisp and cool -- a perfect start to the season. There are so many things that we look forward to around this time of year; turning on the gas fireplace being our all-time number one.
Over at The Inspired Room, blogger Melissa shared her list of "20 Little Things to Treasure In Autumn." Here are her choices; what are yours?
- Quiet dinners by the fire
- Reading mystery novels in darkened rooms
- Flannel sheets at the end of a long day
- Candles flickering
- Smelling cinnamon, oranges & cloves
- Pumpkins
- Roasts, potatoes & carrots
- Fluffy feather beds on a cold night
- Watching movies snuggled in soft blankets
- Cozy socks
- Pie in the oven
- Warm crackling wood stoves
- Squash with buttered brown sugar
- Chili and corn bread smothered in honey
- Wind blowing through leaves
- Glow of lamps through windows
- Laughter filling a room
- Scrabble and popcorn
- Caramel apples
- Family

Images: Domino, House Beautiful, Ralph Lauren

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Pomegranates! They left Pomegranates off the list! Crisp, sunny days. Piles of leaves...I love fall. Oh, and the clothes! Scarves and boots and sweaters...it's lovely.
http://embritadesign.blogspot.com
And she left out hot tea. My favorite thing about cooler weather is hot English tea.
yes! definitely crunching leaves as you walk down the street wearing soft fall color sweaters and a scarf thrown around your neck..
Love the wing chairs in that picture!!!
The plates look amazing, feels like Christmas
Kids running into their homes when the street lights go on. Much different this time of year and they are usually grumpy because of the shorter days and quite frankly, grumpy kids are far more entertaining than grumpy adults.
If I could only afford the gas to fuel my fireplace...Now THAT would be heaven!
Definitely need to add warm sweaters, scarfs, fallen leaves, hot apple cider, corn mazes, camping, outside wood fires, long walks in the woods, friends and family gathering, and so much more. My favorite time of the year by far.
I think this is my 2nd favorite time of year. I genuinely ADORE spring (who doesn't?), but fall is so romanticized in its coziness, i kind of can't help myself.
cool mornings (it's still in the 90s in the desert); digging in compost for a winter greens garden; trimming the summer's growth . . .
Someday I will have a home/apartment with a real wood fireplace!
I'd like to add:
Football with bourbon & coke
Philosophy's Pumpkin Pie shampoo
Tights
Crispy cool nights at Shea for playoff baseball, (fingers crossed)
Turtleneck sweaters and cool, quiet evenings that smell like autumn leaves.
coats, turkey, and pumpkin beer!
You're making me so sad! I love Fall, but we almost never get a real one here in Houston. Last week, we actually had a few days of low 80s weather after Hurricane Ike hit, but now it's back to the high 80s (better than 90s). I'm so ready to break out my Fall decorations and light my favorite mulled cider candle, but I prefer to wait til the weather is cool and it actually feels like Fall. I'm hoping for some 70s temps by mid-Oct. Cross your fingers! I can't wait for one of those cool, crisp days! It's so energizing to me!
Ugh, I want fall to start so badly. I hate Bay Area Indian summer so much. SO MUCH. Every time we get an awesome fall-ish day it's followed by a week of crappy hot weather. I want this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ming_chai/sets/72157594296221749/
But oops, this is a post about love. Apple picking & cardigans. And soup.
Hey, it seems like a good number of us live in the South or Southwest, or in warmer climes! So stand up for what's good in your part of the country, and don't get nostalgic for things that happen in New England or the Midwest! To you in Houston, I hope things are better now (after Hurricane Ike -- people don't understand how bad it really was), and you are getting some relief from the heat! One of the nicest things about Houston is that paperwhite narcissus can be naturalized and bloom out of doors in December!
Here in Austin, October is the month we can finally really enjoy being out of doors, because September is frequently a very hot month. The change of season happens, but it is subtle.
It's not what I'm interested in, but for many Texans, fall means football and tailgate parties, and a lot of outdoor socializing. People are enjoying beer rather than cider.