One of the aspects of living in Western Maryland that I love are the changing seasons. Just when I think the drone of fans and AC will drive me ’round the bend, autumn whispers hello. Just when I think I’ve become the wood stove’s indentured servant, crocuses are smiling at me. Life with four seasons has a nice, forward rhythm that I’ve enjoyed since birth.
Here are ten things I can look forward to over the next six weeks:
1. Better sleep. Whether it’s the shorter daylight, or the cooler days (m
ore activity), or the cooler nights (better rest), I’ll wake up with more of a sense of being ready to seize the day.
2. Fewer bugs. Bugs makes the world go ’round, I get that, but one fly in my kitchen when I’m trying to write a tough scene, and all my focus goes buzzing out the window.
3. More light. Oddly enough, though the days are getting shorter, the maples around my house will also start losing their leaves. In my little log cabin, that means MORE natural light during the day.
4. Beautiful light. The angle to the sun changes this time of year, and I think the greater contrast is lovely.
5. BULBS!!!! I love flowers, and where I live is well suited to planting bulbs. The wonderful thing about the spring bulbs is they come up without needing to be in weeded, watered, fertilized, mulched beds. Stick ’em in the dirt, throw on some bone meal, and wait for the lovely.
6. I can wear all those gorgeous plaid scarves I pick up in Sco
tland. I splurged on a cashmere All Scotland on my last trip, and I shamelessly love the feel and look of it.
7. My big dogs are happier. They like the cooler weather too, particularly after the frosts hit regularly, and the flea and tick menace declines.
8. The woodstove gets me out of my writing chair. For the first couple months, before winter really locks down, the woodstove is cozy, fragrant, and 
cheering. By late winter, putting the woodstove to bed for the year becomes something else to look forward to.
9. Porches festooned with mums–mine among them.
10. The return of the Besom. Beese is one of my several black cats, and at some point in spring, she removes to her summer quarters in the barn. At some point in the fall, she returns to the house, and more specifically, to my lap when I’m writing. She’s the softest cat in the world, and 
has a peacefulness about her that seems to settle me, the dogs, the other cats. I’m not sure what’s doing out in that barn all summer, but all winter, I’m loving having my Writer Kitty close by.
What changes are you looking forward to in the next six weeks? Richard Armitage was so popular last week, this week, I’ll give away a copy of him reading Sylvester, another Georgette Heyer favorite.
The beautiful Fall foliage. I live in Missouri and we get some lovely colors here. But it’s a sad kind of beauty.
I have two cats, and one of them (the Calico)is so soft. In the evening when she sits in my lap and I am stroking her soft, soft coat I have often thought – “If this could be bottled it could replace every anti-anxiety med out there.”
Besom is also soft, soft. She’s like those plaid cashmere scarves plus a purr function.
I don’t regard autumn as sad. I get frisky, in fact, and know that what cometh is the resting time. We can ALL use a rest.
After five years in Pittsburgh where I moved to for my husband’s job, I’m moving back home to Michigan next month! I’m terrified to leave a good job but I desperately need the emotional support of friends and family right now as I go through my divorce and I just know the right job will come into my path when I’m there.
I’ve loved the time I’ve spent in Michigan. Most of the state is beautiful, the people are mid-west friendly, New England hardy, and Canadian philosophical. The right job will find you, though I can understand the move might be daunting.
One step at a time…
So looking forward to the cooler weather!
Sleep! I sleep better in the Fall and Winter! I have more energy when I wake up to walk the dogs and get things done before work.
Baking! I do not bake in the summer. The oven heats up the kitchen and family room. Pies, scones, apple crisp and dog cookies!
Coffee! Pumpkin Spice coffee from Dunkin Donuts…it’s my favorite!
Decorating! Pumpkins and Flowers. I can’t wait to buy pumpkins, gourds and mums to decorate the porch and kitchen. I need a new pumpkin candle, too!!
Outdoor Activities! I take Celeste tracking and herding in the fall. We are bringing Greg, too. It’s nice to get out and follow the track with your dog on a beautiful Fall day.
Traffic! It so much easier to get around town and our small community after the summer folks pack up and return home. Getting a pizza will take 20 minutes after Labor Day…now it’s over an hour wait!
Sumbuddy is ready to leave summer behind. Me too. I’ve had a good summer, gotten a lot done, published a few titles. Time for the cozy nights and beautiful days!
Agreed! Eagerly resume baking upon cooler temps. I actually enjoy raking leaves; great time to be outdoors. Craft fairs and farmers’ markets seem better in autumn. Super season for hikes.
My absolute favorite time of year for many reasons:
1. Fall colors. I grew up in a desert climate where there was never much fall color to speak of. I now live in Ohio where the fall colors are quite spectacular and I am amazed year after year.
2. Soup weather. I love soup, plain and simple.
3. School. My oldest is starting full-day kindergarten this week. I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to this, so much as I’m gritting my teeth and trying not to cry. But, he’s so ready for this and he’s going to do great.
4. Birthday season. My husband and both of my kids all have their birthdays in the same week in October. A busy, but happy, time at our house.
What a fun post!
P.S. Speaking of Richard Armitage, I’ve been watching him as the newest villain on Hannibal. Definitely a change of pace for him!
Soup weather–excellent phrase, and as for full day kindergarten, that’s one of those parenting cliffs. Once you jump off of it, things are never the same. You can’t avoid it (unless you home school), but you’re OK with the change, the kids usually adjust.
As for RA… more than his good looks and fine voice, I think that guy’s just talented. He can be the vicar’s husband, the mill owner, the head dwarf, and so many other things because he’s the real deal, not just a six pack and a smile.
Autumn means beginning new things and in the next few weeks, I begin my teaching and rehearsal schedule. So do my Men Folk, and that means I’ll have more time alone. That means I’ll be able to indulge in a little bit of *house sprucing up* without someone making a comment about shelter magazines! I always do a bit of freshening up around here in the fall before Thanksgiving gets too close.
My birthday is in October so autumn has ALWAYS been my favorite season. And here in the Midwest, we have a pretty (usually)autumn. I have a maple tree outside of my kitchen window I watch daily for weather updates.
January is the beginning of the calendar year but September always have felt like another beginning to me. I am looking forward to being a weekly columnist for my professional society’s website this year, so I am beginning a new aspect of my career. Even at my age!
What is this My Age baloney? My dad will soon turn 95, and he’s been retired longer than he worked. This is not a good plan. My grandma started her first business at age 60 and it supported her until her dying day (80). My sister got her PhD at age 65… my age. THOSE are good plans. PD Chang was still writing at 93.
I don’t wanna hear from my age. My age is shorthand for wisdom and perspective. I wanna hear your programs!
I guess….I don’t feel like I’m going to be, ahemmmmm, 60 in October. And I don’t look it….gotta keep those roots lookin’ good when I perform, dontcha know.
It’s only when the younguns…and not my own younguns, either, mention my age that I apologize or feel strange.
I feel smarter and more capable than I ever have but there are one or two folks who HAVE to mention my age. I wonder how they will feel when they are pushing Six-Oh and it starts to push back!
cooler weather
I’m not hearing ANYBODY object to cooler weather. Come January, we’ll all be warbling about how we miss the sun.
Living in Virginia the seasonal changes are not as dramatic as those found in states farther north. I’m looking forward to schools opening so I can go to a beach on the York River, relax, read a good book and enjoy the sun with fewer beach lovers present. In VA, our summers last a little longer providing quiet opportunities to enjoy what the crowded summers don’t.
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love it when the weather gets cooler, good apples, my women’s retreat is in September, Yes!, Halloween, the World Series, it just makes me a happy girl.
Fall is a lot later here in Arizona, but we are always optimistic and hopeful that it will come sooner. Heyer has long been a favorite writer and SYLVESTER one of my favorite titles.
Beverly Abney
I am looking forward to all the lovely things you mentioned, especially the mild weather and angle of light that makes everything glow. Always good to hear there’s a black cat in charge somewhere.
Fall… I love the sound of squirrels, chipmunks and wild turkeys outside my bedroom window searching through the downed leaves. The fall insects that sing at night are welcome. I look forward to the dry, crisp air and the energy it creates. I love all things pumpkin. My grandsons get so excited about ‘Trick or Treat’ that it lasts for weeks. Hot tea in the morning, the comfortable long sleeve sweaters, my favorite flannel sleep shirt… Neighbors and friends coming to visit because it is indoor weather and there is always something cooking. I love the smell of smoke in the air from chimneys or leaves burning.
Concerns… Will the massive colony of hummingbirds leave on time to miss the cold weather? I worry about not feeding them when they come to my kitchen window each morning reminding me to hurry up with the feeders. I will long for the return of spring birds and their chatter. Winter birds are silent. Except for the blind rooster across the road. He has no notion of day or night.
Every season has its charms. So there is always something to anticipate with joy.