Cool Autumn

by Suzanne

Warning, I'm just letting my mind and fingers wander over some cool stuff about my favorite season today.


Yesterday morning I walked out of the hospital in the morning, the weather was beautiful and cool! After five months of greater than 90 degrees, AETHER, the primal god of shining blue sky was in his element and decided to give me a beautiful 55 degree morning to drive home in. I'd finished my fourth 12 hour night shift, feet dragging, eyes drooping, and I got to drive home with the windows down, the air conditioner off and the radio up LOUD!



Dark sunglasses, wind whipping through my hair, me singing slightly off key harmonies to ZZ Top...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah! The people in the cars next to me were just getting their days started. One man looked at me from the seat of his Mercedes SUV and smiled, (I think he had his window down and caught some off key singing;) Dressed in suits and business clothes, sipping their cups of over priced coffees and lattes, I felt so sorry for them. They had to spend this beautiful morning trapped inside, working.

Me?

Yeah, cruising down the road... Cool!!

And when I got home, Rocky-the-wonder-dog and I sat out on the back porch watching the birds and squirrels. Blue sky and crisp air, me drinking a cup of warm tea. Days like this make all those months of heat and air conditioning worth it! I love the contrast of the seasons, but mostly the relief from the oppressive sun and heat that cooler weather brings.

I adore autumn. In October or early November I usually travel to Ohio to see my family. Not just to see my parents, but to enjoy the cool weather, the color changes of the trees, the rainy drizzle days that invariably fill autumn in the Ohio valley. Alas, this year I am not going to get home. Work and life are keeping me home, but I can close my eyes and imagine I'm there.

After sleeping like the dead...(I did mention that we're having a massive baby-boom at my hospital and I'm working HARD each night, right?), I opened every window in the house and turned on the attic fan to suck out the stale air and pull in some glorious cool autumn air. mmmmmmmm






So, besides cool weather and colorful trees, you know what else is cool about autumn? Chili and baking! Yep, we spend all summer grilling. It keeps the heat in the house down and we have a great built-in gas grill, so why not? Actually, we grill all year round, but way more in the summer than the rest of the year. So, when the weather turns cooler I get the bug to bake. And make big pots of soup or chili.




Now, I make a mean pot of chili. I must, the girls at work beg me to bring in some every time I make it. My son-in-law snatches a bowl when he picks the grandbabies up on the day I babysit, and my dh and son gobble up bowls every day until the pot is empty. We're not purists in our chili eating, we add things like cheese, sour cream to it, and some even mash up buttered Ritz crackers. But we do love our chili. As for baking, Ginger snaps are always a must...as are apple pies and crisps, cakes...and oh yeah the last blackberry cobbler of the season!

Another thing that happens in autumn in our house is cleaning out the pantry and closets. Clothing gets donated to the local Good Will, while cans of food that are outdated or boxes of food that are past their expiration have to be tossed out. There is something just therapeutic about cleaning out the pantry and closet.

Another great thing about autumn is walking in the mornings. This lets my brain fix any problems in my MIP (Mess In Progress) or sparks new ideas for more stories. This is probably a trained reaction to autumn because of the beginning of school always coincides with it... a Pavlovian reaction which triggers the desire to create.

Soooooooooo...do you find Autumn cool? What is your favorite part? Do you have a favorite food to cook or bake this time of year? What songs do you like to sing to with the windows down?

***Check throughout the day for some of my favorite fall recipes!***Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/autumn
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There's Something in the Air

by Joan Kayse

Cool, crisp air. A sheen of frost in the early morning. Brilliant sunshine and brighter than bright blue skies.




Caramel.

How'd I jump from the description of a perfect
Fall day to food? Well, it's not hard here in The Lair, lol.This past weekend in Kentucky, we enjoyed some beautiful weather. Just like I described above. So it got me to thinking. What were the Top Five things I like about Fall?

Food. There are certain foods I only make or eat in the cool days of autumn. Beef stew, chili, apple anything (was having a MAJOR apple crumb pie craving Saturday...went to Weight Watcher's instead). They say an apple a day, keeps the doctor away...why not add some streudal topping? Pumpkin rolls with cream cheese, Halloween candy (I do TOO save some for the 31st...unless I buy Milky Ways) and pretty much anything dipped, covered, drizzled, imbedded with caramel.

Leaves. We are just now starting to have our leaves turn color. I'm expecting a good show this year as we've had plenty of rain (and floods) and cooler temps. My favorite leaf color is scarlet followed by deep gold.

Naps. Yes, I take naps year round sometimes right before bedtime but an autumn nap is the best. With the hint of cold in the air, a soft pillow and a snuggle blanket...man, you can't go wrong.

Squirrels. Not the rabid type Susan ;-) but the cute, gray furry ones scampering around with their nuts. I admire their industriousness...as I lay under my snuggle blanket eating caramel.

Pumpkin Farms. We have a wonderful one across the river in Starlight, IN called Huber's. There's nothing like going there on a day like I described, driving through rural roads, enjoying a home cooked meal and watching kids scamper (in a similar vein as squirrels but without bushy tails) picking out "the best pumpkin ever, Mom!" It doesn't take a stretch to imagine the Great Pumpkin finding that the most sincere pumpkin patch. So what about you?

What are your Top Five Things you like about fall?
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/autumn
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Chaos-self induced or otherwise

By Suzanne Welsh
Sometimes, life just gets in our way. Sometimes, we get in the way of life.

Things have been a little crazy around me lately. Part of it I have no control over, some of it I've done to myself.

Nine months ago it was winter. People were cold. They snuggled up. Guess what? That leads to more babies born in the months of July-October. (Statistical fact based on three decades of L&D nursing by me!) So I always know I'm going to be working harder and more hours at the night job. Busy!! And on top of that, it's summer to early autumn, which leads to sick moms and sick babies...Extra busy!! (But NOT my fault.)

A couple of years ago my good friend and CP talked me into running for President-elect of our Dallas Area Romance Authors, (thanks Sandy!). Duh, that meant that I'd have to be chapter president. So, since January of this year, they let me be in charge of a large chapter and all the responsibilities it involves. (Yep, they're crazy...and it's only partially my fault! I only ran for office, THEY elected me!)

In 2006 I had a "What the hell" moment, something I'm want to do cyclically, and sent three manuscripts to the Golden Heart contest. Dang....two of them finalled. Whoohoo! But even better, I met this core group of fantastic women. Writers who were as determined as me to ride the wave of PR, make a name for ourselves, and start a blog to promote ourselves and our writing. Yep, the thap gump were born! I adore reading the blogs, commenting on them, writing them and interviewing guests. But it does take time and thought. (Yep, this one is my fault!)

Christmas holidays are coming up. I adore fall, but every year I start thinking early about the "special projects" I'd like to do for my kids. One I've decided to do this year involves scrapbooking for one of them. Very time consuming, but in the end, it should be a real tears-rolling-down-the-cheek moment for us. So I'll add that to the pile! Then there's the baking, the parties, the gifts...(Okay, this one is my fault, too...adding more to my plate!)



In the fall I get the urge to head north to Ohio. Now many of you may think it's because of the season and the fall colors on the trees. Well, sort of. I do enjoy the colors, but it has more to do with the change in temperature, the cool rainy days, heck, I even miss the drizzly days that requires a fire in the fireplace! So in the midst of all this craziness, I plan a trip home to see my parents. (This one is my fault, too...but necessary for my own peace of mind!)






And then there's the writing. I always write two stories and edit a third at the same time. Crazy? Maybe, but it's MY process. And all three projects have to be different sub genres or time periods. Apparently my brain LOVES to multi-task. (Is this my fault, well, maybe, maybe not.)

Amidst all this chaos there's hope. A light at the end of the tunnel. (Please God don't let it be a train heading right for me...) October is almost here, which means the baby boom will slow down a bit, hopefully. The moms won't be quite as sick, hopefully. My tenure as chapter president will come to an end. The trip home is planned and will renew my spirits. The holidays, while crazy, are also fun. The writing, it's my sanity, so that's a constant for me.
So what craziness is going on in your lives? What is self-induced? Projects you've volunteered to do? Family obligations you can't put aside? Is there a light at the end of your tunnel?Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/autumn
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