The persimmons are falling! And 10 other things I love about fall!

Don't you just love fall? I live in Indiana, and we are fortunate enough to encounter all of the seasons in the fullness they are meant to be experienced. From the crispness of autumn, to the crystals of winter, the birth of spring, and the embraces of summer - each interval of time delivers a climate that stays just long enough to satisfy and then lingers a bit more so that we are left hungering for the next season ahead. As for fall, here is what I am looking forward to:

1. Planting my new perennials and cleaning up existing flower beds, tucking my seedling babies in for a long winters nap. This includes a load of mulch to fill in any gaps that have weathered away in my beds, cutting back plants that are preparing to hibernate, and buying a bale of straw to throw loosely over tender plants that need an extra cushion against winter's bite. 

2. Stocking up. Its not that I hate winter, but I relish spending those cold days snuggled up here in my home with my children and our pets (and my husband when he is able to be home from work), and the fewer trips I can make into town the better! Some of the things we stock up on are straw for the barns, particularly for our pet goat Dandy to make his bed, firewood for our wood stove, freezer bags full of processed vegetables from our garden, and a few shelves of canned pickles, pasta sauce, jelly, and salsa. 

3. The first wisps of wood smoke in the air. I have heard it said that your sense of smell is more closely linked to memories than any other sense and I would have to agree. One of my own earliest memories as a child is taking in breaths of smoke tinged air while I stood out in a snow covered yard.

4. The smell of dried leaves, and the crunching sound  they make.

5. Perfect weather and perfect skies. What is it about fall that makes the sky so blue, the clouds so puffy, and the air so fresh? The newly cool weather is always such a relief from sultry summer days.

6. Camping and Camp fires. We love to take the time and visit local state parks and camp if we are able. We also have a permanent fire pit in our back yard that we use when family come to visit or for ourselves to enjoy,

7. Harvest. Here at our small farm we are surrounded by fields owned by other families. I love watching the soy beans and corn stalks turn yellow and then dry out. My son, Lincoln, looks forward to all the tractors that travel the road in front of our house, and then finally getting to see the equipment up close when the fields next to us are cut and gathered.

8. Festivals. One of my favorites is the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon in Lafayette, IN. The food there is amazing. I also enjoy a renaissance festival close to Cincinnati, OH, it’s more re-enactment entertainment, but they have great food as well. I also enjoy lots of local events in my town that seem to pop up seasonally.

9. Getting the kids back into their activities. It’s this time of year where our schedule starts revving up again after a summer spent swimming, playing at the park, and keeping up with play dates. Right now we do MOP’s and gymnastics, while also trying to drop in for time at the library or open gym to keep the kids busy.

10. Decorating. This year we grew our own decorative gourds which was great! I’d put on TV Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin or Garfield's Halloween, and then I’d sit and carve/paint my gourds. It’s such a fun project; I’ll have to do a post about the details soon. The rest of my decor I store in large totes that get pulled out every September, and it’s always a lot of fun re-discovering what I have.

Happy Fall!