Falling Leaves

I've heard that it is now officially the Fall season.  At least, it is Fall according to the internets and people who live north of here.  In this part of the world, it is still NINETY degrees outside(we had a cold front come through), the sun is shining brightly in the clear blue sky, and we don't even need to turn on the front porch light until after 8pm.  It may be Fall according to the calendar, but somebody forgot to alert Mother Nature.

While the end of Hurricane season is nigh, there are some things that I do love about the fall. 


1. The Zombie grass does not grow.  We have grass that takes vacations, and my husband loves that.  When the temps drop, our lawn doesn't actually die.  It looks like it is dead, all brown and crunchy when you walk on it.  But should it rain or even mist...BAM! It grows a foot.  Then my husband complains for two days about having to mow in the middle of winter.

2. I don't have to buy a new winter coat.  It doesn't get cold enough here for a winter coat.  It may hit below freezing once or twice, but usually by the time I get up in the morning the temps are heading up.  I have a winter coat, but I've only worn it three or four times. 

3. The A/C only runs 20 out of 24 hours.  Maybe I exaggerate, but it seems like our A/C runs constantly.  It never shuts off...except when it is cold outside.  Then it doesn't run as much.  I like that because our electricity bill goes down.

4. There are no leaves to rake.  When I was in high school, we lived in a house that seemed to have 40,000 trees in the backyard.  And I was called upon to rake all of those leaves and put them into a bag.  If I did not, the grass would die, my dad said.  I failed to see why this would have been a bad thing, since I was also supposed to mow that grass. But the tress that we have now are evergreens. No leaves dropping means no leaves to rake.

5. The first Norther of the year  Northers are cold fronts that come roaring through with serious force.  The temperature may drop forty degrees or more in an hour.  Animals freeze where they stand., birds fall off trees. You may have sunshine one hour, and then the sky blackens and the winds blow and freeze you before you blink.  As quickly as they arrive, they are gone, but when they are here...Brrr!  When Northers blow through, I like to be sitting in my house with a nice cup of coffee, protected.  But Northers mean...

6. Frito Pie!  Take one of those snack size bags of Fritos chips.  Open the bag.  Put some cheese on the fritos, then add a cup of chili.  Onions may also be added.  Get a fork and dig in.  Frito pie is good food for sitting outside watching a sporting event; you can warm your hands while holding the bag. Frito pie is fattening, but when you're cold, you want to have a little fat.  Fat is insulation.    I am sure that someone could make a 'low fat' frito pie, but why would you want to mess with perfection?

7. My mother's chili  My mom makes an excellent chili soup.  It's not spicy or hot, and that is just fine with me.  It is filling, and it reminds me of home.  My husband will not eat it, because it has beans in it. Some people are like that. The Church of the No Bean Chili would likely disown him for eating a chili with beans, anyway.  I freeze what  is left and take it to work to eat for my lunch.  The beans can present me with an after lunch issue, but I just sit in my office by myself.  No harm, right? Right?

8. High School football:  the Musical.  Football is king here.  All schools live and die by the sports, and for some kids, this is as good as it gets. Entertainment at its finest.  The stadiums of high schools are filled to the brim with people, and there is drama galore.  Which cheerleaders are fighting?  Which member of the marching band is most likely to fall down while on the field?  And I'm not even going to talk about what goes on in the lines at the concession stands!

9. Fall TV. Lots of new shows popping up, but tons of my favorites coming back. I always get a TV Guide and read the lineup, so I know which shows to record on the dvr.  I'm looking forward to a return of The Walking Dead, and Modern Family, for sure, but also to discovering new shows to captivate me for a good forty minutes, so my brain gets a rest.

10. Sleeping under the covers  When it is cold, I get to cover up.  Most of the time, It is too hot for me to stay covered up. We don't even have a top sheet on our bed.  So when the temps drop, I cover up and get toasty.  I also pray that I don't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Nothing wakes you up like pulling those covers back for a run to the bathroom!

P.S. I apologize for the typos.  I was falling asleep while writing this, which is probably dangerous.  You never know what I'll type while sleeping!

Mamakat's Marvelous Prompts:
4.) Write a blog post inspired by the word: leaves
5.) Fall is here! List your top 10 favorite things about this Fall season.