Ten on Tuesday ~ Fall

Happy Autumnal Equinox! In honor of the first day of Fall, I'm listing 10 things I'm grateful for in this, my favorite season.

1) The weather.
Even though it's supposed to be over 100° for the rest of the week, I'm hoping that this is the last of summer's heat. I love fall weather. Not too cold, just a bit of a nip in the air. Ahhh, can't wait.


2) Changes in nature.
I love that the trees change completely from their summer green. We don't really have seasons in the California desert, but I live vicariously through TV shows and other glimpses of the outside world.


3) The decorations.
I'm a sucker for cutesy, country-cottage type decorations. Fall is the time of year when pumpkins, burlap, and ears of corn show up in store windows and front porches. The soft hues of forest green, deep red, varying shades of brown; I love them.


4) Halloween!
I LOVE to dress up, and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. The fact that you get tons of candy appeals to me, too.


5) The food and drink.
Starbucks brings back their caramel apple cider, warm soups start to make it into the dinner rotation, and lots of pies and pastries are the norm at meals.


6) The clothing.
I can finally pull out all my favorite scarves and cozy sweaters that have been stuck in a closet for the last nine months.


7) The movies.
Holiday movies start to come out, getting me in a more festive mood. Plus, this is when the studios put out more heavy-hitting dramas after the summer blockbusters. Lots of Oscar potentials.


8) The feeling of being nice and cozy under warm covers on a chilly autumn evening.


9) No more ants.
No matter how much we spray, we always get infested with ants during the hot months. We try and block their entrances into the house, pour boiling water into their colonies, set out bait, all to no avail. We are reduced to putting anything and everything either in the fridge, airtight tupperware, or Ziplock bags for the entire summer season. Fall also means less scorpions and centipedes as well. Boo yah!


10) More family time.
Since it gets darker earlier and it's a bit too cold for some sports, the boys spend more time inside. Lots of time for bonding and movie watching together.


One of my favorite poems is about autumn. It's entitled God's World, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The excerpt I like the most is below:

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour!

Crayl always has fantastic Ten on Tuesdays on her blog, Beyond Black and White. Go see for yourself!