Fall, My Favorite Season

I'm getting a REALLY late start on blogging today.  My husband and I had an early wake-up for 7:00 Mass, so that we could drive about an hour and a half afterward to meet our #2 son, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's parents for a hearty brunch at a really cool restaurant with a retro "1950's diner" theme (lots of chrome and waitresses in poodle skirts!).  Then we visited with our son for a couple of hours at his apartment, which is completely lacking the old "woman's touch," if you get my drift.  It's not as bad as a boy's college dorm room, but it's...um...rather messy.  Very man cave-esque.  He and his father talked football while I snuck into the bathroom and scrubbed the toilet and sink.  Had I been less dressed-up, I would have gotten down on my knees and scoured the tub as well. (I can't help myself; when I have the opportunity, I still clean up after my boys!)

After a nice visit with our son, we drove home and have been vegging out ever since in our own man cave/new room, watching NFL football on our 70" flat-screen T.V.  (Go Patriots!)

While I sometimes get a bit footballed-out by Super Bowl time, I have to admit that football is one of the things I love about fall, my favorite season.  Yesterday, we caught the Notre Dame-BYU game and watched our #5-ranked Irish win their 7th straight game of the season.  (Go Irish!)  It' so much more fun these days to watch football games in the comfort of our own home than it used to be.  How did we ever survive all those years with a measly 32" screen?

The players look so big on this thing, you feel like you're right there on the field with them!

Football isn't the only good thing about fall, though.  I love the weather--the crisp, cool air that's so much more refreshing than the heat and humidity of summer.  I also love wearing long pants and a sweater.  (If I never had to put on a bathing suit again, that would be okay with me.  And I don't even own a pair of shorts anymore, thank you very much.  In the summertime, it's capri pants all the way for me, baby!)

Although I'm a bit of a neatnik (which explains why I can't visit my single sons at their bachelor pads without breaking out the cleaning supplies), I love the beautiful messiness fall brings to the landscape.  I took a long walk yesterday, and this is what the sidewalk on our street looks like at this time of year.

Beautiful!  I don't even feel the urge to get out my broom and dustpan!

In the summer, every dandelion in the yard is an eyesore, every weed stands out like a sore thumb, and dying flowers are a blight on the garden areas.  But in the fall, no one expects perfection anymore, because even the most meticulously manicured yards in our neighborhood are littered with fallen leaves, acorns, and pine needles.  I see beauty in this glorious imperfection--and it's a good thing I do, because our house is completely surrounded by birch, oak, maple, and pine trees, and by the time all the branches are bare, they've left us quite a mess.

Our statue of Mary in the garden out front.  At this time of year,  She's "Notre Dame d'Automne."

Fall is wonderful!  It's a time for hot chocolate, spiced hot cider, Bailey's Irish Creme (yum!), fires in the fireplace, and wrapping yourself up in a cozy blanket on the couch to watch a football game on TV.  The world is painted in harvest hues of orange, yellow, red, and brown, and the clean, nippy air feels like heaven.  And best of all, the holidays are just around the corner.  It doesn't get much better than that.