IT'S AUTUMN TIME! IT'S AUTUMN TIME!

I happen to think that autumn is the ABSOLUTE best time of year, hands down! I keep thinking of all the reasons why it is the best, so now I am going to write them down mostly for my own benefit, and hope that some of you agree with me.

• The colors are AWESOME! There is still green on the earth and then the leaves change and create a beautiful contrast.
• The weather is perfect. It is warm but not too hot and sometimes there is a little chill in the air that feels great.
• The lighting in my home is so cool. The sun has just started to shift to the south, shining into all the south windows of the house. It is so direct and warm that Mom pulls the sheer curtain in the living room to save the couch from sun damage. Walking in the front door with the curtains pulled with sun still shining in on the Halloween decorations is just perfect!
• It is harvest season. You work all summer long planting, watering, weeding, irrigating, and whatever else it takes and you are finally rewarded in autumn with all the fruits of your labors. I know that it is a lot of work to pick everything and preserve it all but there is such a feeling of satisfaction to it!
• School starts just before autumn so autumn has a fresh-new-year-of-school feel. You haven't gotten bogged down by months and months of classes yet.
• It is football season. I know, I know, cliche but it is true. I love the excitement of homecoming and Friday nights in the dome watching the games. Even though I don't watch much football anymore, it is still associated with warm fuzzy feelings.
• It is soccer season. It is still warm enough to spend hours and hours outside playing (or watching my nieces play) the sport that I absolutely love! 
• Raking leaves! This is one chore that I really enjoy. I love having a big cottonwood in the front yard that has given me opportunity to rake. I also did some raking in Utah and it is associated with such wonderful memories.
• It is the beginning of the holiday seasons. I loved when my Mom would decorate the house for the holidays. 
• Change. I don't know why I can see the earth changing so much more in this season than the others but I do. Watching the change makes me reflect on my life every year and think about all of my good memories and the things that I have accomplished. Very rarely do life's disappointments pop up during these reflections. 
• It's my birthday! I am sure that this carries quite a bit of wait in forming my opinion about the season, but I hope that after you have read this list you can see that it isn't the only reason.

I absolutely LOVE this time of year!!