All That is Fall

Note: this post was started during the warm stretch and JUST finished it, just in case you're going, "um...hello...it's already FREEZING out there, idiot".

We got an early dose of autumn here in Minnesota (read: it was cold and gloomy), which quickly faded into the much-loved and rarely appearing "Indian Summer". Yuck, I hate that term. Please hold....

Okay, so after taking a jog over to Wikipedia, I found out that I can also refer to the phenomenon as "St. Martin's Summer", or if I want to stick to my German roots, "Altweibersommer". Done and done.

Anyway, we've been enjoying a stretch of said Altwiebersommer, and quite frankly it has been amazing. Soon however, the comfortable temps will fade away and the explosion of outdoor activity will calm down, and we will fall back into our normal seasonal cycle. (Pun intended.) This warming period that is delaying the inevitable has given me a chance to reflect on the things I love about autumn in the Midwest. So I'm going to be incredibly self-indulgent and tell you about a few of my favorite things. (Cue thunderstorm and kids singing along...)

Let's just start with the obvious; Color!! Fall probably makes me a road hazard with all of my "ooing and aaaahhhing" at the bright reds, flashy yellows and warm orange colors painting our treetops.  It's all I can do to not pull over and take pictures on my daily commute. Next on my list of favorites are bushels of APPLES!!!  So I know that in this wonderful modern world apples are available year-round, but the crispy Macintosh apples, and the insanely flavorful Honeycrisp apples just bring me to that warm and cozy place.

Speaking of cozy, this time of year means I get to bring all of my wonderful sweaters out of hiding and very soon don my wonderful mittens that my awesome roommate made me last year. All of these warm, wooly things make me a little less forlorn that summer is not to be seen for another six months.

I could continue along this path of listing all of the things that make autumn in the midwest phenomenal, but I'm sure that most of you are aware of these wonderful things, so I will bid you adieu and let you get to brewing your hard cider.