CATHERINE: What’s to hate? Golden, burnished, glittering autumn sweeps across most of the country with a magical artist’s brush turning nature into spectacular vistas. This majestic undertaking collides with most contemporary human’s insane and over-scheduled lives.
Then it’s going into the house. Each year, I promise myself I’m going to cut down on decorating and spend more time writing, reading and sleeping. That’s not happening.
RULA: I definitely ‘fall’ into (heh, pun intended) the hectic schedule camp and fall is my favorite season with October being my favorite month, so I HATE that it seems impossible to balance writing time with the visceral need to be out in the crisp, fresh air harvesting nuts and fruits from my trees, planting cool weather greens and just taking in all those gorgeous fall colors.
CATHERINE: I hate the garden center because my van can't hold all the mums I want to buy!!!
RULA: I know right? We simply have to make multiple trips. Another excuse to browse all those gorgeous mums on a beautiful fall day, instead of tackling fall cleaning. Don’t you hate that?
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Once autumn hits, I always feel I have to “do” something. For the first time since Easter, I have to decorate. Look for that perfect butternut squash soup recipe and should I go sweet this time, or savory? And all those apples falling from my tree? I should make applesauce or pies with them. Preserve them. Grapes need to be harvested and pressed into homemade wine or jelly. My Indiana corn needs to be grilled, roasted, stripped from the cobs and frozen for Southern creamed corn (made with bacon) for those cold and bleak January days.
See what I mean? Pressure. More scheduling. More responsibilities. More work.
First on the list is the decorating. My mailbox is flooded with catalogs that have every conceivable fall wreath a person can imagine. Overblown, costly, glittering with amber beads, I contemplate for weeks, which to buy. But the thing is, I can’t do it. Each year, sentimentality overrides my design gene and I hang up my mother’s “Pumpkin Alley” wreath that has graced the front of this house since about 1980.
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| Catherine's mother's fall wreath. Too cute! |
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| Catherine's awesome fall chandelier decor. Clearly she does not hate fall decorating :). |
I hate that each time I go into Hobby Lobby or Michaels, I walk out with even more Autumn decorations than I bought the year before. Oh, yes, after all these purchases, I’ve even thought of more. I need autumn paper napkins. Because now that I have the decorations up, I have to give a party, right?
Rula has the same needs for a 12-Step program as I do. Right, Rula?
RULA: I definitely ‘fall’ into (heh, pun intended) the hectic schedule camp and fall is my favorite season with October being my favorite month, so I HATE that it seems impossible to balance writing time with the visceral need to be out in the crisp, fresh air harvesting nuts and fruits from my trees, planting cool weather greens and just taking in all those gorgeous fall colors.
(cough, cough)
Did I say gorgeous? Ooops. I’m supposed to be listing things I hate. Sorry! Um…let’s see. Okay, I have it. I hate that the leaves on trees turns such vibrant shades of red and yellow against a backdrop of evergreens that I get confused at traffic signals. Not sure an officer would buy that as an excuse, but hey…
Oh and you’re right, Catherine. When all the fall décor hits store shelves, I’m like a kid in the toy aisle at Christmas. Can I blame fall for budget breaking? I mean, companies who create and sell fall décor might as well have minions dressed up in ‘The Borg’ Halloween costumes—one of Star Trek's most formidable enemies—chanting their famous line "Resistance is futile". And even if I do resist piling pumpkins and such in my shopping cart, I still lose track of time. The clock still ticks away as I window shop.
Which brings us to time management. Let’s see…tackle writing my next chapter due soon…or buy fall décor, decorate like there’s no tomorrow, plan your Halloween costume and party and curl up with hot chocolate and a romance book… Decisions, decisions. Can we blame fall on missed book deadlines? Our editors aren’t reading this, are they???
And don’t you just love—I mean hate—when you get home from the grocery store and realize that you’ve bought ten pumpkins in every variety/color for your front stoop and numerous pots of mums…but nothing for dinner? Pumpkin soup, anyone?
CATHERINE: I hate the garden center because my van can't hold all the mums I want to buy!!!
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| Catherine's fall garden |
Or what about all that leaf raking? I mean, does anyone really like jumping onto a pile of leaves while playing with their lovable kids or puppies? Do people really enjoy carefree fun like that? Or beanie hats with animal ears on them and Harry Potter scarves? Or adorable kids in costumes and endless supplies of candy? Or fresh apple cider, candied apples and hay rides?
CATHERINE (whispering to Rula): Um, I think we just failed at hating autumn.
RULA (whispering back): Shhhh…I know. But maybe no one will notice.
One thing you’re sure to LOVE is A HEARTWARMING THANKSGIVING, which releases Nov 1st and is now available for pre-order...and the awesome SWEEPSTAKES that's underway: http://bit.ly/2cJ8U07! There's an upcoming Facebook party too on Nov 3rd!
CATHERINE (whispering to Rula): Um, I think we just failed at hating autumn.
RULA (whispering back): Shhhh…I know. But maybe no one will notice.
One thing you’re sure to LOVE is A HEARTWARMING THANKSGIVING, which releases Nov 1st and is now available for pre-order...and the awesome SWEEPSTAKES that's underway: http://bit.ly/2cJ8U07! There's an upcoming Facebook party too on Nov 3rd!
If you missed Kate's recent sweepstakes announcement, click HERE for all the details and links!! You won't want to miss any of it! You'll LOVE it all!
WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO HATE OR HATE TO LOVE ABOUT FALL?
I love (hate??) your post, because it reminds me of all the (wonderful!) things to do in October. The views out our windows are truly spectacular right now! (Very distracting when I'm trying to write.)
ReplyDeleteI hate (love actually, because of the exercise and sense of accomplishment) blowing all the leaves off our property (and there are LOTS of them) with our walk-behind (not self-propelled) leaf blower.
Okay, one thing I really don't like is that we're losing daylight. The primary reason I don't like this is because the dogs no longer get their outside playtime at 6:30 in the morning. Since we back onto the Oak Ridges Moraine, I'm not comfortable letting them off-leash in our yard first thing in the morning, in the dark without being able to see if there's a critter (coyote or skunk, for example) back there. Why do I hate this? Because it means that until they adjust to their new play times, they have excess energy to burn off inside. I had to get up and keep them from some form of mischief or other three times just while reading this post. :-)
Also, the views out our windows are spectacular right now. It's very distracting when I am trying to write!
Happy fall, everyone!
Ack, you know, I think Catherine mentioned the same thing and I forgot to include it! Yes, even I have to admit that the darker mornings aren't the greatest. I mean, if I could sleep in a snuggled up then sure...but I have to get kids up for school and take them to the bus stop (it's not right at our house) because I don't want them standing in the dark for safety reasons. I also have to put the chickens to bed earlier in the evenings. Bet you don't have that on your to do list, Kate, LOL! ;)
DeleteI look forward to seeing your 'fall' photos on social media because I know you're place will be stunning.
No, we definitely don't have to worry about putting chickens to bed. We do, however, have to watch for the glowing eyes of bunnies in the glare of our headlights when we walk the pups at night! :-D
DeleteOoooh dog temptations!
DeleteI hate that I've been stuck in meetings all morning!!!
DeleteOh, and thank you, Rula and Catherine, for the shoutout for A HEARTWARMING THANKSGIVING, and the fabulous preorder sweepstake we have running right now!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!!
DeleteAnytime!!! Love that cover!!
DeleteLoved your posts and, in spite of your best intentions(haha), still love Autumn. Getting excited about November, however, will be a different story.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Janice, I tried hard to hate it but just can't seem too ;)! As for Nov-Feb I guess it really depends on where people live. Feb is our snowiest month (mid-Atlantic). I don't know how my Canadian friends and all the Toronto editors handle their cold!!
DeleteI'm really jealous. Fall is my favorite season...when I get to experience it. You know how to tell it's fall in Arizona? The license plates start to change colors. And I'm doubly jealous over all your wonderful decorations. I haven't decorated in years. But you've inspired me. I wonder if I even have any decorations in the garage.
DeleteJanice!! Sniff! I know, I hate that winter is coming!!
DeleteYou guys are right. Fall is terrible. I really hate fall food - hearty soups and stews, melt in your mouth pot roast, buttery squash, spicy pumpkin. And pretty much anything cooked in the crock pot that fills the whole house with mouth-watering aromas. Yuk. Lol! Great post, Ladies!
ReplyDeleteHa! Maybe if we say it enough, we'll come to resist temptation and save ourselves tons of calories lol. You know, my kids love pumpkin pie so much that, when I make it, I make at least 3 (one each). And since I, of course, need to make sure each one has an equally tasty result, I'm forced to eat a piece from each pie. Just for comparison. You know ;). Man, I really hate having to do that but it's all in the name of being a fair mom.
DeleteYou both are making my mouth water and I can smell those meals already! Time to get the crock pot out!
DeleteFun post and yes, there is much to love about Autumn. I'm looking forward to the Heartwarming Thanksgiving. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandra! You too!
DeleteThanks, Sandra!! I can't wait to read! Don't you love the cover?
DeleteThanks, ladies. I'll get that wreath with fall colors out of my closet and back on my door. Sorry, but I love fall. Today for the first time in probably 6 months I've had to get a jacket in the morning. Yeah! Fall temperatures have reached Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteMy wreath has fall colors too, Marion! It has berries, fall leaves and sunflowers on it. A bit of a harvest feel. I just finished pulling out all of my fall and Halloween decorations and am determined to go pumpkin shopping in the next few days!
DeleteMarion, I so remember counting the days till November when I lived in Scottsdale. It took forever for the temps to drop. But from now on till April 15, we will all be in envy of YOUR weather!!!
DeleteI'm off to the market in about an hour and I do have mums and more pumpkins on my list. I have three, but could use a few more. Fall in Oregon means wet and windy, but with the occasional crisp, blue-sky days that remind us why we're here. Incidentally, Guys, on the chance no one else tried it, T. R.'s apple crisp recipe is delicious! Happy DAY, Everyone!
ReplyDeleteFall in Oregon sounds perfect to me, Muriel! And mmmmm. I'll have to add her apple crisp to my list of things to bake this week!
DeleteI decorated last weekend. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, except my hummingbirds leave us and that makes me sad. Fun post, ladies!
ReplyDeleteJill, I start decorating on the fall equinox because I can't wait for Oct 1st lol. But I leave my more Halloween-ish decor for Oct 1st, so it's all out now. I seriously love autumn...total autumn addict here. Just love it. Wait...did I just admit to that? Darn. Talk about a hate post failure!
DeleteJill, both Rula and I are over the top about autumn. It's a serious mental problem. I have a very hard time getting through August and not putting SOME autumn decorations up. This year I made it to September 1. I know. Pretty bad. My Halloween is up as of September 22nd...the Equinox. And the bins upon bins upon bins of junk I have...it's a disease.....
DeleteExactly what Catherine said. It's like caffeine to a coffee addict and I go through extreme withdrawal Dec through Aug.
DeleteLast year was the first year I decorated for autumn, aside from a front door wreath. This reminds me to get my pumpkins out of the closet! And why I need to stay OUT of the craft stores, LOL. Thanks for sharing, ladies!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Anna, I can only imagine you in a craft store. Make way, everyone! ;)
DeleteSeriously, I am still going through the catalogues and Pier One looking for throw pillows with maple leaves on them.
DeleteI can't resist all the fall/Halloween decor in the catalogs in the mail!!! My idea of relaxing 'me time' is to sit back and look through all the photos. I'll star the ones I really love with a marker...just in case I give in to something...or they go on sale for next year ;).
DeleteYou two are amazing. The only thing I hate about autumn is how it reminds me that Christmas is around the corner and I should be buying gifts and deciding on what to get everyone.
ReplyDeleteRoz, I had to run to Target yesterday and couldn't resist swinging by the Halloween section at the back. Well, to my surprise (or not), the entire back wall behind all the Halloween stuff was Christmas lights. Already!
DeleteYOu are so right, Roz. I'm gift shopping already. Christmas is another very serious mental flaw with me. I can't get enough!!
ReplyDelete