Cat's Corner
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Hello, you beautiful autumn season! Old Sol has once again gifted us with equal hours of daylight from the September equinox. Now nights are longer in the northern hemisphere as the southern hemisphere slides into more daylight and springtime. After five months of stifling heat and humidity here in North Carolina, I’m ready for warm scarves and hot chocolate!
I’m sharing six things I love about this season in a photo walk that will make you fall for Fall, too. Plus, my blogging friends from West Virginia to New Zealand (where it's springtime!) share what they love about this time of year in our blog hop, Making the Most of the New Season. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post and click over for more smiles and inspirations from around the globe. 
1. LEAVES
Growing up in Connecticut in a 100-yo home,
flanked by two majestic sugar maples towering over our small front yard, autumn meant one thing to us kids … leaves!
Raking Leaves
We’d rake huge piles and jump into them from high off the porch. I don’t know how we did that without breaking any bones. We were lucky the worst thing that happened was landing on dog poop!
Leaving Leaves As an adult, I discovered the trick of adding natural areas to my back yard, where I let leaves stay where they drop. However, I hand-rake the front lawn, preferring this old-fashioned method over powering up a noisy leaf blower. It’s my special form of autumn exercise. 
Cat's leafy natural area with a dash of garden art
Peeping at Leaves Being a native New Englander, a love of autumn tints, especially against iconic New England stone walls and white-spired churches, is ingrained in my soul. Today, the colors of the near-to-me Blue Ridge Mountain leave me ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Crunching Leaves Underfoot Have you ever walked across fallen leaves? Your feet play a symphony of crunchy crescendos guaranteed to make you happy. 
Autumn walks on the greenway
2. GARDEN COLORS
Since moving to North Carolina, I learned about plants that thrive in our mild winters. Fall has become the time to swap out my summer garden beds for glorious winter colors before the first frost hardens the soil in late-October.
3. COOL TEMPS, WARM CLOTHES
Ahhh…that first hint of crisp, dry autumn air!
Off with the lightweight outfits! Time to bring out your sweaters, long pants and that scarf you started knitting last winter but never finished. 
4. PUMPKINS, SPICE, AND EVERYTHING NICE
Perception researchers at John Hopkins University recently found that Americans are attracted to the scent pumpkin spice because its powerful smell triggers familiar, cozy memories.
Photo: Jill Wellington on Pixabay
I’m on Team Pumpkin: pie, bread, cookies, Cheerios, Pop Tarts, pancakes, marshmallows, PSL at Starbuck's. You name it. If it’s pumpkin, I want it. Yep, even that new pumpkin-scented toilet paper! 
Cat's neighborhood Trader Joe's display
And is there anything better than a trip to the patch with your Littles to search for THE perfect pumpkin? Well, maybe watching the TV classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, with a cup of pumpkin spice latte <wink>. 
Cat's Niecelette in the pumpkin patch
Photo: B. Hall
5. HALLOWEEN
Speaking of Halloween – what more can you say about the greatest celebration in a kid’s calendar? I adore greeting costumed little trick-or-treaters at our door, who are already on sugar highs dreaming about their loot.
Last Halloween in the midst of Covid, I set out 70 individually wrapped bags of sweet treats at the end of our driveway, and waved from the porch at wee ghosts and goblins streaming by. My Halloween goodies were snapped up within an hour! I'm already stocking up for this year's visitors. 
Halloween in Cat's 'hood
6. BEACH TRIPS Finally, my biggest guilty pleasure – taking a fall beach trip to the near-to-me North Carolina coast. It sounds contrary to traditional summertime visits BUT during autumn on the coast …
Prices are lower.
Crowds are thinner. Air and water temps remain delightful. 
Autumn at Oak Island, North Carolina
Restaurants still serve mouth-watering beach favorites. And there's no waiting in line for your seafood platters! 
Traditional shrimp plate at the shore
And that autumn sky over the beach at sunset? Takes. Your. Breath. Away! 
Pier on Oak Island, NC
OVER TO Y'ALL
So many reasons to fall for Fall! What would you add to my six picks? What's your favorite memory about this time of year? I’d love to hear what you think. Please share in the comment section.
And before you go.....
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 Cat MichaelsBlogging about books, writing, family life, travel and more good stuff. Meet Cat
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