Fall is perfection to me. My senses come alive, not burdened by the mud of spring, the mugginess of summer or the cold of winter. The smell of crackling leaves, crisp air, grass, pumpkin, and wood smoke invade my nostrils. The sight of brightly colored maple and birch leaves in their reds and yellows dazzle my eyes. The sound of geese honking, crows cawing, leaves crackling, chainsaws buzzing in the distance is a great comfort to me.
I relish all that fall is and look forward to it all year long.
Sweaters and down vests, football season, the excitement of hunting and the newness of the school year. Pumpkin beverages and desserts accompany delicious soups, stews and hot dishes (as casseroles are called in Minnesota).
Even though I love parts of all the seasons in Minnesota, fall is the season I love in its entirety. I embrace it, drink it in, long for it when it's gone. To be in the woods after a summer banished to the lakes because of the stickiness and the pesky bugs is perfect.
Spending frosty Saturday mornings hiking (I'm using that term loosely, it is a combination of walking, stumbling, meandering and trudging) through the woods with my fellow woods lover and dear friend is a combination of exercise, meditation, therapy, relaxation, escape and sheer joy.
