Celebrate Autumn (my favorite time of the year) and have a magical Halloween!

in the embarassing Halloween pumpkin costume I put on him last year. I live vicariously through my animals.

is my favorite time of year. I don’t do too well in summer – I’m probably too pitta – it’s too hot, too humid. I usually wind up getting a summer seasonal depression which always lifts by mid-September. I love the bluer skies, the longer nights, the brighter stars, the way the light slants … I love the cooler air that is actually light enough to breathe. There seems to be a quickening, an excitement – all these new beginnings, kids going back to school – and, around the corner, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

I’m not too sure what I mean by celebrate autumn – just to take advantage of every opportunity. Go hiking when the leaves are turning. Buy mums and autumn wreaths and pumpkins for the porch. Go to a high school football game. Eat seasonally – make recipes with apples and autumn squash.

As for Halloween – I’m a preacher’s daughter, I never really got to trick or treat or anything like my friends. The few times I would have been allowed to trick or treat or go to a party – it RAINED or I got sick! Halloween always seemed so magical to me – a time when anything could happen – and you could be someone else for a night. So, I’d like to do something to celebrate this as an adult. Get in on some of the fun I didn’t have as a child. Not in a ghoulish fashion, but a magical fashion. Decorate with cute/elegant decorations. Make halloween crafts and jewelry for my friends. Bake Halloween treats for those at the office. Carve a pumpkin. Find a great costume and maybe a party to attend uptown. Volunteer to help out for a children’s party or parade.