by Lee VanAmee

Created on: October 17, 2009   Last Updated: October 18, 2009

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. After the heat from summer, I am more than ready for some nice cool temperatures before the freeze sets in. And usually if it rains in the fall, it is not the tornado/thunderstorm season downpours of summer; it is usually a pleasant shower and smells so fresh afterward. Here is a list of some things to do and reasons I love fall:

Watch the kids playing in the park or newly gathered at the bus stops.

Slow down from summers pace; take a nice stroll instead of a brisk beeline walk.

Pull out your favorite clothing, jackets, boots and pajamas.

Wrap up in light blanket or a favorite sweater.

Sip some favorite tea, how about trying out a new soup every fall; try at least one new one.

Look up, look down, look left, and look right, there is beauty in every glance.

Some of the trees are ablaze in fall colors and some are already naked.

Smell the aromas, of wood fires starting, start your own.

Stop to feel the mist in the air from the fog and dew in the mornings before you get into your car.

Feel the chill in the fur of your furry friends as they come in and out of the house.

Try a new recipe that requires actual oven time, not microwave time.

Enjoy the time of the year when the temperature is perfect for being outside and moving around.

If you are not already riding your bicycle, give it a whirl.

Rake up some leaves, and smell the fall cleansing.

Press some leaves in a book, and show your children how it was done, way back when . . .

Walk in your neighborhood when the leaves start falling and hear the fall music of crunching leaves.

Gain an hour of time back with daylight savings time.

Feel the rain on your face.

Watch the school bus as it pulls out for the first time of the season.

Open up a new mystery novel.

Football, did I say football, yes, definitely football and tailgate get together!

Go fishing one last time, catching that big one before winter moves in.

Leave your windows open a bit and feel the fresh "cool" air breeze come in.

I am sure you have some of your own favorite traditions. Fall is too easy to miss, because it does not have the big bang of summer or the rigidness of winter, and it is not as showy as springtime. So, it will be gone before you know it! Enjoy this quiet changing of this season while we have it!

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