Bits for Sunday, September 23, 2007

According to the ticker above, Daylight Savings Time ends in forty days. I have now moved into the “Lent mentality.” If I can survive forty days of (whatever I give up any given year), I can survive forty more days of my brain and body being in a different time zone from my posted work hours.

According to my calendar, fall has arrived. And what a beautiful fall day it is! Sunny – and warm enough to keep the summer clothes in circulation for another day.

But I have to admit – I’m kind of ready for fall. NOT ready for raking leaves. Allow me to make that clarification up front. That’s the one part I’m dreading. But I’m ready for all the other excitement that fall brings to my life.

* Fall cleaning. I don’t really do spring cleaning. (I’d blame it on exhaustion brought on by changing into daylight savings, but I didn’t do spring cleaning before that business started, so I guess that won’t work.) But I do feel better after reading on a website that if you’re only going to do one major cleaning a year, fall is the one to do. Yeah. I knew that. That’s why I chose it. And my fall cleaning has begun. This week I cleaned the carpets and reveled in the satisfaction of tossing out murky water. (At least one of you understands that joy, I know.) I knocked down cobwebs and rubbed some orange oil into the wood on the buffet to give it a pick-me-up. The cleaning isn’t done. I’ve got windows to attack with a fury, more cabinets that need pick-me-up attention, and a few tubs waiting to be hauled into the attic.

* The great wardrobe switch. This is still awaiting me, but this is one of my favorite things about season changes. I am convinced that the change of seasons was designed partly for women who are tired of their current clothing selection and need new options without spending money. I love pulling everything out of the closet, sending away the clothes that I’m officially done wearing for life, folding up the rest, packing them away for half a year, and pulling out the alternate season of clothing. I always find things I forget I had, and for at least a month, I feel like I’m wearing brand new clothes every day! Another fabulous part of the great wardrobe switch is finding all the super/extra/final markdowns on clothing and shoes – especially the stuff I staked out at the beginning of the season and now can finally afford once it’s 90% off.

* New decorations. Probably later today I’ll venture into the attic and drag out the tub of fall decorations. I love the oranges and yellows and browns that I tuck into corners here and there to perk up the house. The cats love playing with the newspaper packing while I rearrange the décor. Hey, whatever keeps them out of my decorating is fine with me.

* Fall candles. I have an unhealthy addiction to candles – and some of you know that in the winter, that’s primarily how I heat my house. But even though I burn candles year round, there’s something about the fall candles that I love the most. When Angela lived here with me, we both liked the Yankee candle scent of Harvest. Every year we’d wait for that one to go on sale and then we’d burn it every day – it has an amazing scent. Last night when I was in Wal-Mart (go figure) – I stopped by the candle aisle to see what they’d brought out for the fall and I’m excited to head back after payday to stock up on candles for my candle garden!

* Trip to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. I wonder if I think apples are only available for purchase in the fall. I rarely buy them except when I make my annual trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Maybe they’re better when they come straight from the orchard. I’m not sure. But going to the orchard is one of my favorite things to do – choosing the perfect pumpkins for my porch and mini pumpkins and gourds for the table inside. And then of course, the apple selection. And with that comes the making of one of my favorite cakes that my friend Lois gave me the recipe for – this perfect spice cake with bits of apple in it. Slather some whipped cream on top and have a cup of coffee with it – it’s the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert.

* Colors! Maybe I love fall because I love color and fall has so many of them. Though I detest raking the leaves, I love the beautiful colors that they turn before they give up and fall. I love the colors of the fields before harvest (and may I add – I do not miss the dust of harvest that blew into my bedroom window when I lived at home with my parents).

* And most of all – vacation! Fall is about the only time of year that I feel caught up enough at work to take more than a couple of days off at a time. So even though it’s not an immediate thing – I’m going to look forward to my vacation!

In the meantime – a fond farewell to summer. Yesterday I got a sunburn – probably my last of the year. That’s okay with me. I am pretty sure it gave me a fever, so I’m not anxious for it to hang around too long. I mowed the yard – probably not for the last time, but there are likely not many mowing days ahead of me. This summer has been a good one – one of the best I’ve had in recent years. But I’m excited to welcome fall – which has the potential to be even better!