Dawn's Thursday Thirteen, Edition Thirteen: Autumn-inspired
1) apple orchards: sure i have the delicious scent of orange blossoms in March, but there are no *apple* orchards for getting bags of crisp, freshly picked apples and gallons of yummy cider... homemade apple pie, sold by the slice...
2) colorful foliage: while i do have trees down here with actual leaves & not *just* palm trees, these leaves stay nice & green until January... when they suddenly turn brown & fall off. no fiery transition painting the hills & mountains in the distance amazing colors. come to think of it, no hills & mountains either. =P
3) crisp air: something about the Autumn air itself is invigorating. even when the sun shines, there is a briskness to the air around you. the air in FL doesn't get anything that resembles crisp until mid-November. and then, it's only in the mornings & late at night. at the rate we're going this year, with highs in the upper 80s still, it will probably be January before we get more than a teaser.
4) sweater weather: along with the crisp Autumn air, you get rosey cheeks & you need that extra layer of coziness when you're outside soaking in the gorgeous weather. it's too warm still for an actual jacket but just a long sleeve tee is not enough. i only get to wear sweaters for about three weeks, in February, when it's freaking icy here in the Sunshine State.
5) hot spiced apple cider: sure you can still make that in Florida as a seasonal treat, but somehow it just isn't the same when the weather outside doesn't require a nice warm feeling in your stomach to warm you up from the inside out...
6) Dunkin Donuts seasonal selections: i don't know why, but for some reason in this state, you can't get the same yummy donuts that i had to choose from in Connecticut. sure, i can still get the year-round available apple-filled cinnamon donut, but what about the cider donuts? and the apple-filled caramel-frosted donuts? and the apple-filled donuts that are iced & sprinkled with crunchies? they don't even do the choclate-frosted donuts with the little seasonal sprinkles on them... the selection just isn't the same...
7) leaves on the ground: it just doesn't feel like Autumn unless you get to scuffle through piles of fallen leaves, kicking them up into explosions of color, rustling & crunching underfoot... and that distinct aroma that only fallen leaves possess...
8) frosty breath: something about the first time you see that cloud of breath that initiates that the seasons have indeed changed again...
9) Indian Summer: you can't have an Indian Summer when it *stays* warm. you need that first frost to edge the world in sparkle before you get back to 70-degree afternoons & one last round of short sleeves before the chill holds on...
10) trick-or-treating: i am sorry but when your childhood memories include kids having to layer themselves with sweatshirts & gloves & turtlenecks & thermal underwear, transforming into bulked up versions of the characters they are disguised as for Halloween, it just doesn't seem right to me somehow to open the door to trick-or-treaters who can be Princess Jasmine or a bellydancer showing skin without the risk of suffering frostbite.
11) country fairs: Floridians go to fairs in January & February. because they *can*. but it still seems weird to me that the fairs don't coincide with the Autumn harvest...
12) the Catskill mountains: my annual birthday trip to Cooperstown with my dad was something i looked forward to every year. we would set off on what was predicted to be a peak foliage weekend & enjoy all my favorite parts of Autumn in a place i love... it was a day trip, maybe two. now it would be a full vacation.
13) Yankee Candle: sure there are little shops at the mall. nothing can top a trip to the flagship store though. i used to go four times a year, just before each new season began, to stock up on seasonally appropriate scents & candle accessories. it was a rite of passge for each season as it made its debut. now i almost forget that i am in a new season because they are all virtually the same. Autumn scents (tied with Winter scents) are some of my favorites: apples & cinnamon, caramel & pumpkin spice... and something about seeing that great big wagonload of pumpkins...
i so miss Autumn in New England...
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7 with their own thoughts:
Yeah, there is something about drinking cider or hot drinks when it isn't cold out! We have some of those same things here in MS but mabye not quite as much as you would experience. I did see a few yellow leaves yesterday. But you probably don't need a big heavy coat either!
Great list of wonderful things about fall.
I think that one of my favourites is the colours.
Happy TT!
Great list. :) Those are all wonderful things about fall. :) Well, except for the Dunkin' Donuts. ;)
Happy T13. :)
I would definitely miss fall too.
Great list, & I love your template!!
Love the new look!
I was gonna do my TT this week, but um....I got my days mixed up.
Ooh, good T13! Loved all of those and I can sympathize, as we have a ton of that here. I'll offer one more - having to turn on the AC while you are putting up the Christmas tree! We've done that before and somehow, it's really hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the air conditioning is running. :)
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