A Few Things: Fall
Fall officially begins today, although where I live the calendar usually gets there before the weather does. I can feel it beginning. The mornings are arriving a little later and the evenings are getting darker a little earlier. Leila has not adjusted her schedule accordingly. She still wants the window open at 5 a.m. for her daily bird surveillance.
The mornings and evenings are cooler, and we have started opening the windows again, but by the middle of the day, it is still hot and the air conditioning goes on. Fall in Southern California doesn’t always look or feel the way we think fall should. For me, it starts showing up in other ways.
There is a little pumpkin spice returning. My version of a PSL is a venti Americano with two pumps of pumpkin spice syrup and half-and-half. Enough pumpkin spice for flavor but not too sweet, just the way I like it.
A few things are beginning to change at home too. I am redoing the living room before I break out the throws, throw pillows and little splashes of fall decor, so for now there are only a few things appearing around the house.
I found a pumpkin on a wood base that holds essential oils and gives off a pumpkin spice scent. The Aera scents are changing too. Pumpkin Spice and Madagascar Vanilla, with Alpine Cedar in the bathroom.
I am also looking for a few Halloween decorations. Nana’s house, after all, should be a little Halloween fancy for our little Halloween princess in her unicorns and rainbows phase.
The kitchen is getting a small change too. I bought new canisters for the things my partner uses every morning when he makes my espresso, water, collagen, fiber and olive oil meal in a cup for me. He likes everything convenient and close at hand, preferably left right on the counter beside the espresso machine. I like the counters clear and generally think less is better. A completely clear counter is even better. The canisters are a compromise. He gets convenience. I get order.
I cannot wait for the first pot of chili and cornbread. Both take me back to my grandmother’s house and my great-aunt’s house. Each of them made her own version of chili and her own version of cornbread. They were different from each other, and I loved something about both.
It is probably similar to believing your mom’s meatloaf is the best meatloaf. These are simply the versions that taste right to me. I still make both of them. My great-aunt had one little secret I still use. I add about half a teaspoon of vinegar to my own bowl of chili. Somehow it makes it even better.
My eldest son makes an amazing chili too, completely different from either of theirs, with cornbread dumplings. It is in a league of its own.
There are things I cannot wait to do too. On Saturday, we are celebrating my nephew’s graduation. Then Sunday, we are off to pick apples.
After apple picking this weekend, I am making Baked Brie with Savory Apples, Shallots & Thyme, Roasted Chicken, Apple & Comté Salad, Brown Butter Apple Cake and a Sparkling Apple & Rosemary beverage.
My daughter is busy these days, but I am hoping we can find time to see Practical Magic in the theater. I told her I am going to book a five-hour hair service, use two hours at most, and then we are off to the theater. I cannot wait.
I have something else to look forward to. My daughter and her boyfriend surprised me with an invitation tucked inside a Halloween mug.
Bring something cozy for nights by the fire,
comfy for exploring,
and pretty for dinner.
Slow mornings.
Walks beneath the trees.
Dinner by the water.
A little wandering somewhere new.
I am looking forward to the pumpkin patch too.
When my daughter was little, she told me she would always go to the pumpkin patch with me. It would be ours. So far, she has kept her word. She has her own home now, a life with her boyfriend and a business that keeps her as busy as can be. Every fall, we still go.
The group has grown over the years. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter come now, and sometimes others join us too. My daughter and I are the constants. Year after year, we return.
Reese became part of that tradition too. She loved everything about it. The tractor ride, walking through the pumpkin patch, running through the corn maze, smelling the farm air and pumpkin custard baking in the oven when we got home. She was all things fall.
My partner used to say I enjoyed taking Reese more than I enjoyed taking the kids. He may have been right. There was something about experiencing it through her eyes. She took such joy in all of it that watching her became part of what I loved about going.
Yesterday I asked my daughter whether we should return to our place this year or consider somewhere new. She said we should go back and remember Reese.
She is right.
There are fifteen years of memories like these. Reese wasn’t simply along for our life. She made our life richer in every way.
So we will return.