Fall Is Only One Month Away!

Autumn leaves (not my picture)

I love the morning. A new day. A fresh start. Crisp air. Hot coffee--hot for now.

My picture. From an iPhone.

The coffee today is an instant brand that actually tastes okay. Most instant coffee tastes like it was scraped off the floor of the factory.

Kroger has started putting out the ceramic jack-o-lanterns. I've been tempted to pull out the fall decorations, but I'm waiting until after Labor Day. Seasonal changes are great, but time goes fast enough; I don't need to hurry it up.

I guess with school starting so early in the year, it feels like Fall should be starting as well. That means trips to the apple orchard, choosing from the vast field of pumpkins a hefty variety, apple crisp, campfires with friends and gooey s'mores, the earthy Fall scent in the air, needing the seat warmer on the way to school yet still having the window down a crack for the fresh air, finding out that my children suddenly have no long pants or sweatshirts that fit anymore, soccer games on Saturday mornings (bonus points for the car full of mud after a rainy game), a hiking trip in a state park to look at all the beautiful trees...

Actually, just driving along portions of US 24 gives a grand view of trees for the parts that roll up and down with the natural terrain along the Wabash River. Indiana really is a beautiful state.

Fall will get here when it gets here, but I'm going to start sneaking in the candles that smell like I've been baking all day: pecan pie, cinnamon roll, banana bread, pumpkin spice. Mmm...