I see if the nursery has mums yet; that's my first autumn treat to myself. Mums and pansies and some left-over snap dragons to fill in where the summer annuals and creeping Jenny are withering. Some of the new mums will winter over and bloom twice, some will last for seasons and some never look as good as the day I buy them. All good. I set a few pumpkins by the mums. Not all orange jack-o-lanterns like when we were kids, but cream and striped and green with warts too.
Next, I forage for tablescapes. Branches of red leaves from Dogwood; as the weeks pass, yellow maple leaves; some acorns, bits of moss and a few blooms from the mums gather up nicely. In the yard, I keep the leaves off the moss; it doesn't like a blanket. And blow the leaves off my woodland trails so I don't lose them to the forest.
Don't you love the predictability of October? Green turns to deep red, auburn, gold and finally, once on the ground, to brown and new mulch. The colors are as welcome as those of Spring. I rake only the few that the wind piles near the house. Those I put by the armful into the firepit for an afternoon of that wonderful crackle of leaves curling in the flames. When the leaves are gone, pinecones and kindling with a log or two continue the warming blaze. Now that's a heavenly smell, chary woodsmoke as the evening cools, under strings of outdoor lights drinking hot cider or wine.
I feel like I'm describing something picture worthy but actually it's just a stained concrete patio with woods up the hill and loved furniture in groupings. By Fall, rust shows through everything I repainted in the spring, odd tables and chairs and lawn ornaments, whatever a third or fourth coat of paint will salvage for another season. The shine on the copper firepit is long gone too. Stacks of cleared brush and fallen branches lie about and caste their ragged shadows.
Many people love Fall best. Right now, I'm feeling like I do. The movement from Spring to the heat of Summer hasn't nearly the charm as the transition to autumn, at least not in North Carolina. Summer is sticky and sweaty and heavy; we live mostly in air conditioning or in front of fans or in the water. But now . . . new beginnings, perfect for walks and runs and biking. Stars shine brighter when the nights are cool. Plants stand straighter too with a chill in the air and the mist of a light rain.
We grilled bone-in porkchops tonight on our little kettle grill. With roasted new potatoes and sweet peppers in red, orange and yellow, it was an easy supper. Fall is too short, every year. But let's appreciate every little thing it has to offer. Nina Naomi
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