Romancing the leaf

Go ahead. You know want to. Blush. Turn a little shade of red for me. Maybe some orange, golden yellow, deep purple. You look so good when you do.

I'm at my best when there is a chill in the air. Seductive. Darker. Almost demented from the anticipation. I spend most of the year in a lovely blue/gray/green airy wonderment. The softness of those colors bring a lightheartedness to my emotions. The pale sea green in my kitchen billows around me and makes me happy when I walk in. But there is a  point in the year where my eyes turn towards the cynical, darker, cloudier days with glee. I welcome Fall with a sly grin and an open door like a secret new lover. For weeks I have been feeling the change. The slightly cooler nights. The extra dewy mornings. I miss my little pumpkin patch from my old house. I will always have a childish fantasy of living in Hagrid's hut from the Harry Potter series. There is an amazing scene where all you see is giant dusty orange pumpkins and fog. I close my eyes and imagine looking out my kitchen window at my garden full of Jarrahdales, Cushaws, Hooligans, Luminas, the edges lined with Babyboos and Jack-Be-Littles and in the middle of it all, one GIANT pumpkin, tipping the scales at a little over 500 lbs. Its not record-breaking, but its big enough for me to hide behind with a knitted shawl from my Momma and a good book. Fall is where I get my groove back. Refresh my soul. End my year long quest for zest, zeal, sparkle. Enjoy the harvest and be thankful for life. Its all in the Fall for me. And he is here, now. Welcome Fall. Come on in and stay awhile. I need your sparkle.

Oh how I miss thee

Blogger, oh blogger, how do I love thee....let me count the ways. Venting and planning. Troubleshooting and victories. Sharing and caring. Its getting to be my favorite time of year. I love pumpkins and Fall colors. I love hot cider and yarn. Oh the yarn. I could roll around in yarn like a cat when its cold outside. Nothing feels better in my hands than a nice worsted weight wool or alpaca blend. I've been so busy with this new house that I have barely knitted all Summer. I'm ready for a short break from remodeling to get back to my favorite Fall activities. Knitting and GARDEN PLANNING!!!  Planning my garden through the Fall and Winter months is almost as exciting as my first shovel of fresh dirt in the Spring. This next year is going to be a whopper of a chore though. I am starting from scratch. We have started clearing out the yard of the half acre of DITCH LILIES!! This yard is ridiculously overgrown with lilies and other wild plants. I'm hoping that by December I will have a blank canvas and a few raised beds started. Who knows, with the way the weather has been, I may just go ahead and start my Spring planting!  I don't think Winter showed up but maybe for a week or two last year. I tell you what though, the SECOND a seed catalog shows up in my mailbox, there will be seeds. Beautiful packets of seeds. Hidden about the house in random places. Stashed like a shoe addict hides a recent binge purchases from Broadway Shoes. I was so terrible last year, that as I was packing to move I found a few extras that were somehow forgotten. I'll be smarter this year...

                                                                                                            I is gonna make meself a map.