Oh my gosh. It's finally September.

I belong to that group that counts autumn as their favorite season. I always wish that it were one of the longer seasons... instead of a little blip between sweating and shivering. But I'll celebrate every day of it as soon as it's here!

To be honest, September usually runs pretty warm: we're basically in the upper 70s til October. Seriously. That should not be.

Summer just hangs on around here. I start getting that itchy feeling you get when you're trapped in a corner talking to someone that mayyyyybe you're ready to be done talking to? That anxious sort of uh-huh-uh-huh-I-really-need-to-move-on-now head nod and wincing grin?

Yeah, summer. That's what I'm doing. Time to move on.

I'm edging toward fall, as best I can. It's still gonna be awhile before I can get away with wearing an alpaca scarf (rats!), but until then, here's a not-at-all complete list of everything I'll be embracing this autumn:

apple cider
sweaters!
and, of course, scarves, alpaca or otherwise
rainy days
knitting!! okay, crocheting, you too. Let's get granny-squaring.
curling up with an Agatha Christie mystery
(or really, any mystery at all)
watching college football with the fam... yelling at the TV has its therapeutic effect.
long walks in our neighborhood with cooler weather... no more sweating!
frost
watching our sweet gum turn every possible color...
bringing out all the wintery afghans
that long-division, back-to-school feel in the air makes me feel vicariously industrious
have I mentioned knitting??
pumpkin EVERYTHING... doughnuts, bread, cookies, pie, mashed potatoes (really!), and of course,
the fall coffee drinks. YES. Yes I would like extra cinnamon on top, thank you.
also? MAPLE.
the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot
boots!!
kettle corn
visiting the local apple orchards... the dizzying scent of sun on ripe apples, mmmmmm...
all those fall pies, baby. Pear-Fig-Hazelnut, Cranberry-Pear, Caramel-Apple, Pecan...
did I mention rainy days?? My heart lifts off every time it rains.
the sounds of our high school marching band, practicing across town... so many memories!
sitting around a bonfire with friends, under a cool night sky
and oh, it's comfort food season again! (Basically everything that happens in an autumn kitchen: I adore.)
time to rewatch Anne of Green Gables, am I right?
and a host of other fall movies... Fantastic Mr. Fox and Moonrise Kingdom come to mind. Oh! And the spooky Tim Burton flicks. (Corpse Bride, anyone?)
the sound of the wind in the pine trees by my window... oh, the blustery days of autumn!
caramel apples?? Caramel apples.
and time to start scheming for Christmas! (Did I actually say that.)