Hello Fall!!

                           

Today is the first day of my second favorite season:  Fall.  Winter is my favorite, but fall comes in as the close second favorite.  I am a fan of cold weather, and the fall kicks off the changing of the temperature.  The days start to get a little more tolerable, the evenings get chilly, and the early mornings can be spent sitting on the patio with a blanket and a hot cup of coffee.  

Yep, I love fall.

Fall also kicks off holiday season.  In a month it'll be Halloween, a month later will be Thanksgiving, and then a month after that is Christmas.  So many holidays, and so much fun.  There's so much to love about this time of the year.  

I don't know why I love cooler weather so much, but I do.  I find comfort in having to wrap up in a blanket or throw on a sweater or jacket.  During cooler temps, there's always something I can throw on to warm myself up.  The same can't be said during the summer.  There's only so much a person can take off when they're hot.  

Don't get me wrong, summer is fun.  I enjoy being off work for about six weeks, but I don't enjoy being hot and sweaty.  I don't enjoy bugs.  I don't enjoy having to crank up the AC in the car or at home because I'm uncomfortable.  I'd much rather have the windows and doors open, and enjoy the fresh air.  Plus, fresh air is a lot cheaper to use to cool my house than the AC.  

I can already feel fall making itself comfortable.  This morning, I'm sitting on my patio and it's kinda chilly.  The temperature is 57 degrees.  I lit my mosquito candle, and it's providing a nice glow of light, and a nice little burst of heat.  Not even a week ago, I was sitting on the patio at the same time and the temps were well in to the 70s.  What a difference 13 degrees make.  A few degrees cooler, and I would have had to grab a light blanket.  But, my coffee and my candle are giving me enough heat to keep me comfortable.  

When we first bought this house, the covered patio was one of the first things I loved about it.  No matter what the weather is like, I can come out here and sit.  I had no idea I'd spend so much time out here, but it has become almost like a sanctuary for me.  Every single morning, I get up, grab a cup of coffee, and come sit out here for as long as I can before I have to get the kids up and get ready.  I could easily spend another hour and a half in bed, but I don't.  It's my quiet time.  The time I can reflect, think, and mentally prepare myself for what the day has in store.  And, it's not just weekdays.  It's also how each of my weekend days start, too.  Of course, on the weekends, I can spend anywhere from two to three hours just sitting out here, enjoying my morning coffee, and enjoying the sounds and comfort of quiet.  

Even though we live in town, my patio is like my little nature oasis.  I have seen all kinds of wildlife during my time of just sitting.  I'm often greeted by raccoons, squirrels, turtles, lizards, rabbits, hummingbirds, and a beaver that has decided to build a home in our back yard under a pile of brush.  I have even caught a glimpse of a skunk here and there, and then held my breath hoping it won't notice me and get spooked.  I have also had to hold in a few squeals when I catch the sight of a mouse or a giant spider passing me by, but as long as they leave me alone.. I'm good with them enjoying their morning as much as I enjoy mine.  

Speaking of which, I have to share a quick "Mother of the Year" moment that happened this weekend. For weeks, I've had a GIANT spider living in by my front door.  Now, I HATE spiders.  Am terrified of them, in fact.  But, I am also a firm believer in not harming anything unless there's a reason.  A spider belongs outside, and as long as it's not IN my house... I leave it alone.  Well, this spider was sitting on it's gigantic web, and Butter (while standing on the porch) accidentally leaned back in to the web.  The spider disappeared, and Butter went about trying to get the sticky web off of him.  Then, all of a sudden Peanut notices the spider crawling up Butter's back.  Now, I had no idea what type of spider it was at the time, but I didn't stick around to find out.  Instead of protecting my child from a possible spider bite, I took off running out in to the yard away from Butter, screaming at the top of my lungs, as the giant spider is running up his back towards his neck.  Thankfully, Peanut's boyfriend came to the rescue and got the spider off of Butter.  I felt terrible afterward.  I mean, what mother does that?  We later found out it was an Orb Spider, and not dangerous at all.. but still.  A mother is supposed to protect her child whenever her child could be in danger.  Except, of course, the danger has eight legs and is as big as one of her fingers....then, it's all bets off, I suppose.

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes... fall.  That's another thing I can't wait for, and that's all the bugs to start disappearing.  While I love my little patio, I don't love the bugs that also call it home.  I can't wait until the time I can walk out on the patio and not have to check my surroundings for grasshoppers, spiders, and any other creepy crawly that give me the heeby geebies.  But, regardless of how many bugs I encounter, I still enjoy every minute I get to spend on my patio... especially in the fall.  

It won't be long, now before I can start unpacking all of my fall apparel.  That's another thing I love about fall, the changing of my wardrobe.  I have my fall clothes packed neatly under my bed at the moment, as it's not yet cool enough to get out all of my long sleeved shirts and long pants.  But, I have a feeling I'll be doing that very soon.  I can't wait!!

And, now my time this morning is coming to an end.  It's that time where I need to go get the kids up and ready for their day.  

I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday, and enjoys this beautiful day.