Imagine you step out your back door wearing a warm, hooded sweatshirt. You see trees ablaze in fiery color all around you.
But it's the scents that really capture your attention...
The tea-like fragrance of leaves decaying.
The piney sap scent of evergreens and their cones.
The warm, sawdust-infused incense of freshly cut wood, mingling with midday grilling odors from a nearby football tailgate party.
After raking way too many leaves, enough to bring blisters to your palms and an ache to your back, you retreat to the warm comfort of your home.
The comfy smell of Oak logs burning in the fireplace relaxes your muscle tension, and tempts you to grab a mug of hot chocolate and retreat to a cushy spot on the couch with your pets.
But no, you have pies to bake. So instead, the scent of baked Apples, cinnamon, butter, and flaky crust fills your cozy home.
Are you smelling it? It's just around the corner, folks!
(I'm joining Donna at Garden's Eye View for her Seasonal Celebrations. And don't forget to add your Lessons Learned link or to mention it in the comments. Thanks!)
And apple pie, don't forget apple pie!
ReplyDeleteNo worries here--I won't forget to bake the pies. :) The Apple crop is down 61% in Wisconsin this year, and the Apples are ready for harvest now--about a month ahead of schedule. We just got some yesterday--yum!
DeleteYou painted the picture perfectly! I am so ready for the slightly cooler temperatures of fall and all its accompanying aromas! http://gardeningsoul.blogspot.com/2012/09/seasonal-celebrations-lessons-learned.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking in Karin! It has been beautiful here the past couple of days--70s and sunny with evening showers. We're very fortunate after the difficult summer. But it doesn't seem like fall yet. Usually the cold, crisp stuff hits here in early October. And the smells are fantastic! I'm looking forward to it, too!
DeleteYummmm! Pie! I'm looking forward to fall leaves and gingersnaps. Why do you rake your leaves? We mow them until they're tiny and leave the shredded leaves in the grass or add them to the garden beds. Much easier. :o)
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest. I'm looking forward to everything but the leaves. :) With an Oak forest in the backyard, we can mow some of the leaves into the lawn. But sometimes they drop so fast that we have deep piles no normal lawnmower could plow through without difficulty. We mow them into the grass as much as possible. And then sometimes the wind blows them into the woods--yay! The ones that are left we blow or rake onto tarps, which we carry into our woods to decompose. We don't place any at the curb, even though that's standard practice around here. I like the idea of letting nature take its course as much as possible.
DeleteOh I can smell it Beth...the trees are turning already due to drought...waiting for cooler temps, the smell of burning logs, the dead and dried up leaves...oh and apples and cinnamon...I love it...wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI keep imagining the pies...and the fire in the fireplace. :) Our tree leaves started changing colors and dropping in July. It was weird. I think a lot of them are dead now. But hopefully some are just dormant and will be fine until next spring. So far, September has been spectacular. I'll be curious to see what the drought's effect will be on our fall colors overall. It will be hard to beat last year's amazing display!
DeleteI am really loving this take on Autumn...and I can smell it clearly...
ReplyDeleteNow if we could just smell some real rain coming down, after months of drought.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Jen--I'm sorry that you're in drought now. It seems like the drought slowly moved further west and south over the course of the summer. I'm doing a rain dance for you now. Thanks for your kind comment. I imagine autumn in B.C. is pretty spectacular, too! I'll look forward to your descriptions on your blog, as always.
DeleteI loved the photos and how they supported you view of fall senses, especially the smells. Love the smell of apples.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna. I can't get Apples off my mind now. We bought some yesterday, and they were very expensive--maybe partly because the state's Apple crop is down 61% this year. But I'm so excited to bake some pies!
DeleteMmm, lovely, autumn is one of my favourite times of year - spring being the other - and your post is wonderfully evocative.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janet! I didn't appreciate autumn when I was young--perhaps because it meant the end of my favorite season. But now I look forward to it. The only season I dread is winter--especially when it's a tough one and it drags on...
DeleteI love the smells of autumn! Add to these the smell of rain, a welcome scent after such a long dry summer. Apple pie sounds delicious right now.
ReplyDeleteYes, the rain! I sure missed that for most of the summer! I hope we get plenty of rain this fall. I plan to bake some pies next weekend. :)
DeleteNot quite autumn here, yet, though the nights are cool, the sun is lower, and the colors are more muted.
ReplyDeleteIt's not autumn here either--Wednesday's forecast high is near 90! Actually, I was looking ahead for the Seasonal Celebrations meme. I imagine autumn will hit full force in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we have more 70s and 80s in the days ahead. Love it!
DeleteWhat a delightful picture of autumn, I loved this post! Especially since your kind of autumn is one I have not experienced for years and years. Thank you for bringing so many memories back.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Masha! Autumn would be fantastic if it wasn't followed by brutal cold. I love the change of seasons--except the deepest, darkest depths of winter...
DeleteSuch a lovely post, i wish we had autumns as lovely as this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen! Usually our autumns are pretty nifty. We'll see how this one shapes up after the drought.
DeleteYou are making me sweat with thoughts of warm, hooded sweatshirts!! It was 90 degrees here again today so I will have to really use my imagination. I am hoping for a nice fall this year tho (as opposed to the abrupt end (snowstorm) we had last year. A pie sounds good!!!
ReplyDeleteTee hee. About the same here today, too! Unusual for September. But the forecasted high for tomorrow is 63 degrees. That will be quite a change. The apples are good--time to make pie!
DeleteI love the smells of autumn. I could never put a definite 'name' to the scent of the leaves, but you're right, reminiscent of tea. This has been one long summer and I am sort of looking forward to a change. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to it, too. Strange because I usually don't like autumn until it hits. But it was a tough summer. Thanks, Karen.
DeleteI am avidly watching leaves in the garden slowly seeing the autumn hues creeping in. I am a huge fan of Autumn which certainly does have its own outdoor scent but you distracted me with apple cinnamon and butter, yum!
ReplyDeleteJust discovered you today and am jumping aboard.
Thanks for stopping by! I agree--autumn is creeping in. And it's time for those hooded sweatshirts!
DeleteEvery season has its own perfume. Our wood is stacked and our neighbor has an orchard. The scent of apples. One of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to so many aspects of autumn this year--like never before!
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