We are headed home as an old friend passed away unexpectedly this week. She was a character who new how to live life to the fullest. She will be missed by all.

Falling....

Each year, the arrival of fall marks my favorite time of year. I love the way the evenings cool, the air smells of crunchy leaves and pumpkins and mums line entrances.

The fall sweater. I don't know about anyone else, but I love sweaters. I love a good sweater and a pair of jeans. Every year, I treat myself to a "birthday sweater" to star the season off right.

Birthdays. Well, I can't very well put it out there and then not talk about it. Yes, that's right. My big day is the twenty-third of October. This year I will be... older. Though I rarely work this out, I love the possibility of sitting around a bonfire to celebrate a new year.

Croquenos. Croqua-whats? My paternal grandparents were fixtures in Metropolis, Illinois. Not only is this the official home of Superman. It is also home to Fort Massac. Every year, the town puts on a festival - The Encampment - with a reenactment. My grandmother, as president of the historical society, spent one weekend each fall dressed in a bonnet (or maybe that was me) making these DELICIOUS old english donuts in a giant cauldron over a real fire.

Apple festival. On my mother's side, my grandfather was often called "Mr. Apple Festival." For over 25 years he ran this local festival - complete with parade, beauty pageant, and drum and bugle corp contest. I spend my childhood receiving free caramel apples and siting in the judges stand. To this day, they still present the winning trophy in his name.

Holidays. The holidays are just around the corner. So it's a long, swooping corner... but never the less, you can almost smell the pumpkin pie and see the twinkling lights. This is the time of year when I get serious about the Christmas Shopping (I have been casually doing it for the last eight months, if you were wondering).

Burning leaves. Now this is a real travesty of living in a metropolitan area. I understand that it's not great for the environment to burn leaves. But, don't you remember, as a child.... I would spend hours racking and raking and then the pile would be big enough to leap into. Once your hair was speckled with brown, it was time to light the pile. The air would smell of ash for weeks.

I've fallen for Fall (and I hear it's coming for a visit starting tomorrow).

* Yes, that is me in the most awesome Rainbow Brite costume EVER!

Why do you love fall so much?
Don't love fall... then what's your favorite season and why?