Autumnal gratitude

If I lived in the northern lands where it is white and bone-chillingly cold all winter, I might let summer be my favorite season. My husband is home more, the school responsibilities drop considerably, and we go to favorite places like Yosemite and Cannon Beach, Oregon.

But....

I do not live in those northern lands. It gets cold enough around here to kill annual flowers and freeze our pipes, and we even occasionally get snow, but it is not a never-ending parade of the same. It is beautiful and raw and interesting.

And summer is hot. For a long time.

So, autumn wins, spring is second, winter is third and summer comes in dead last. Because I don't do hot without a lot of God's grace. But, I've mentioned that a few hundred times before, haven't I?

And now it is Autumn. Beautiful autumn. And I am grateful.

11. For long shadows in the afternoon. An amateur photographer's dream light.
12. For acorns of many shapes and sizes. They drop on the roof and make me happy as they roll all.the.way.down.to.the.edge.of.the.roof.
13. Shorter days. I love the rhythm that night brings. We slow down, settle in, and even the cacophony of noise that is ironically the norm at A Circle of Quiet's residence quiets a little.
14. Bulb planting. I have bags of ranunculus to plant, and iris to dig up and spread out. I joke that we bought this house because there were 1,000 bulbs planted in the front yard, but it is only a halfway-joke. I love bulbs.
15. Harvest. Our little plot of vegies in the front yard has not produced much, but we still have cherry tomatoes and peppers ripening. The pumpkins, for some reason, are just now beginning to grow. We're not sure they'll be ripe before the frost, but we'll see.
16. Falling leaves. Our property is on a hillside with two levels cut out for use. Our house and granny flat live on the first level of land; the garden, chicken coop and path to the woods are all on the second level. The rest is a steep slope of manzanita and poison oak (just in case you were considering sneaking up on us from below, I wouldn't recommend it.) In autumn this means we have relatively few leaves to rake, as most of them just tumble down to the paths and hillsides, adding eventual heft to bike jumps and nutrients to the soil.
17. Cool mornings. I love waking up in the morning to the smell of cool, fresh air.
18. Flannel sheets. Cozy! An added bonus: I found a next-to-new set at the thrift store for three dollars. It is cream and lace-edged and cozy and beautiful. So, every day I can wake up to the chill in the air, the coziness of the flannel, and the blessing of a great deal.
19. George Winston's Autumn. This is in the top-ten of my favorite music, but it doesn't feel right unless it is truly Autumn.
20. Geese. They fly through out little valley throughout the fall and winter, pond hopping for whatever reason geese have for doing what they do. I love the sound of their calling across the way, I am fascinated by their formations, I just love them.


Posted as a part of the Gratitude Community at Holy Experience.