Lindy Hoppin' Linus

It's starting to get cold...

...which means I get to break out my store of coats...

...and my store of scarves, hats, mittens, gloves...

...and winter is coming!!!

I must say, however, that although I adore wintertime, there is something magical about the fall. And I think I've come to appreciate this season so much more since I moved to Boston. Minnesota has fall, sure, for about a week between summer and winter. [Okay, perhaps I exaggerate a little...it might actually be 2 weeks...haha!]

But New England really knows this season well. I must say it gets a one-up over Minnesota for the fall season. The leaves gradually change their color; they lazily fade out of their green summer color, and then one day burst into brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows for one last hurrah before the winter hits. The air gets cooler. Not cold, but crisp. I don't think one can truly appreciate the description of a "crisp" day until they've experienced a New England day in the fall. Crisp. Mm, love it. The wind blows in a certain way that's very distinct to fall. It whistles a bit more, and tousles your hair in a playful, hap-hazard way. It carries the scent of fall with it everywhere it goes. And that's the thing...the wind is everywhere with you during the fall. Anywhere I go, the wind is right there beside me...seemingly skipping along beside me and giggling to itself as it pretends to ignore me over and over again.

People wear scarves in the fall, too. That I love! I love that look of a light fall coat with a scarf wrapped around the neck. There's something so cozy about that look on a person. It makes me think of sipping apple cider with a cinnamon stick in it in front of a fireplace, watching the wind whip around in its playful way out of the window.

And really, that's what fall is. It's apple picking and cider sipping. It's pumpkin carving and pie making. It's scarf donning and pleasant evening walks in the crisp cool air right before dusk. It's colored leaves riding the wind and birds flying south in preparation for the coming winter. It's knitting a sweater or scarf or hat with mug of warm soup beside you. It's the smell of a fireplace and the scent of cinnamon and other yummy spices wafting from open windows.

I constantly feel the need to breathe in deeply to take in the fall air and then let out a big sigh of contentment (heh, just did). There's a beauty to the fall that no other season can claim. A beauty, a magical element, a sense of tranquility and thoughtfulness that the other seasons can't quite give.

So, raise your mug of steaming apple cider, hold the cinnamon stick to the side, and take big sip. Here's to the fall!