Fall. It's truly the best season of all, in my opinion. I've always felt that way, even at a young age. The smell of burning leaves, the crispness in the air. Halloween just around the corner, which is something that I have always looked forward to.
Where I grew up, somewhere between nowhere junction and where-the-heck-am-I street, parents dropped their kids off at dark and didn't see them again until they'd hit every single house on every single street with a porch light on. Of course, that was only about 17 streets. But still, pretty much everyone handed out candy and I would haul in enough sweets to last a year. Literally. Nobody worried about checking the candy for bad stuff or even whether or not it was good for you. I would take my loot home and separate it into different piles based on how much I liked it. And then I would savor a little of it every day until it was finally gone. I'm not sure how I didn't end up obese, but I guess you could attribute that to the fact that I spent the majority of my "play-time" outside running around. The good ole days.
Halloween wasn't a religious or political issue either. As kids we'd get to dress up at school, parade down main street in our costumes, and have parties in our classrooms afterwards. It was fun and creative and we loved it. Later, in high school, we'd dress up and decorate "haunted" houses or graveyards for the younger ones and have a ball, then go to someones house for food and scary movies. Do they even do stuff like that anymore?
Anyway, aside from Halloween, Fall has always represented so many wonderful things. The end of another Summer, the start of a new school year. Friday night Football games and College Football Saturdays. Leaves changing from green, to yellow, to orange and red. Jeans and hoodies. It's not too hot, not too cold, just cool and crisp and wonderful.
Since moving to Florida, I missed the seasons changing and the change from Summer to Fall most of all. Now that we have our little place in the mountains, I remember why this has always been my favorite time of year. I can't wait to see what our property will look like over the course of the next few weeks, as the leaves make their changes. The mountains are just beginning to give us a peek of what's to come.
