• The end of Daylight Saving Time–taking back the hour stolen from me in the spring
  • The way the sunlight slants, making edges and shadows look sharper
  • Plugging in my fake, electric fire–the crackling and flickering is so cozy
  • Long evenings by the “fire”
  • Munching on popcorn–well, that’s an all year thing, but it’s extra nice in the fall coziness
  • Orange harvest moons hanging huge and low on the horizon–so mysterious and dreamy
  • Squash–Kabocha, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, all of ’em
  • Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf cookies–they have them all year, but I only buy them in autumn, and only when there I’m sure people will be around to help eat them
  •  Picking  apples from our tree and canning applesauce–an all day project with my daughters–so messy and steamy and fun
  • Cool, sunny days–even if it gets a little sticky in the afternoon, the shorter day can’t hold the heat, and the evenings and mornings are crisp and fresh
  • Bratwurst and cabbage
  • Putting an extra blanket on the bed–that comforting heaviness
  •  Sweaters, jackets and scarves
  • Deep orange hachiya persimmons hanging like ornaments on the leafless tree
  • Clear mornings when the Golden Gate Bridge looks orange (it is International Orange, but from here, you can only see the color on the clearest days)
  • Green turning to gold, orange, yellow, red and brown–especially aspens
  • Leaves swirling in the wind
  • Elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park–seeing and hearing the drama of the rut 
  • Planning homemade gifts for Christmas while there’s still time to do them (and before I abandon them because I waited too long and ran out of time)
  • Knitting by the fire, a cuppa tea nearby, still hoping to finish at least a couple of the gifts
  • Soups and stews simmering all day
  • This poem: Something told the Wild Geese