What Was Fall

When I think about what the seasons feel like here in middle America I feel like it's mostly winter and summer with little slivers of transition that we call spring and fall. I know all about the solstice, yeah, yeah. But summer this year, although very mild, lingered into October


On a school field trip to the pumpkin patch in October. Feeling totally comfortable in shorts and a tank top! 

and as Halloween drew nearer I wasn't sure if we were going to see much with the fall foliage this year, but it did happen,


I could have an entire album of photos of the trees with how gorgeous it was this year, but I'll just have to hold onto my mental snapshots because I was way too busy to venture out with my camera. 

just in time before the first snow in mid November.


So the postcard-worthy autumn lasted barely a month, but I still enjoyed every bit of it.

We pressed and ironed leaves that we collected earlier in October.

When the leaves started falling and Z asked if we could make a big pile to play in I told him we didn't have a rake. We actually don't even have a yard, but the next day as we made our way to the bus and rustled through the crunchy brown layers on the ground he said "mom, I know you said we don't have a rake, but could we just play in the leaves?" How could I refuse? We found a patch of grass where autumn leaves abound and those three had the time of their lives. I am so glad we stopped to enjoy this season, however brief it is.