Fall is here.

Fall is my absolute hands down favorite season.  

The weather has been slightly overcast with the temperatures dipping from the 80's into the 70's this week.  The leaves on the mountains have turned a burning red orange.

Fall is my respite from the glare of Summer.  I know most people relish the release of schedule the summer brings, but I do better with some order.  I do love our time at the pool and the green grass and the blue sky and the wonderful white clouds.  But the coming of Fall is like a deep calming breath.

Last February, in the last grim of Winter, I decided to incorporate some specific rituals into my morning to make things just a little bit nicer, one of which was heating water in my kettle for a tisane that would then sit on the counter steeping in my mug, usually a peach or blackberry, to be drunk or not (depending on the hubbub of the morning), but always infusing the kitchen with a delightful smell.  The warmth of Summer made that morning ritual obsolete, but this cooler weather has brought it back. 

I find myself in the grey fall morning, filling up the tea kettle and setting it on the stove element and turning the knob to high.  I say hello to our cat sitting right outside our window.  When the kids are off to school I open up all the windows to let the Fall air sweep through the house,  to clean out the musty corners before the real cold comes and the furnace turns on.  

Ah, Fall.  I am so glad you are here.