20 Things abut Autumn

Melissa at The Inspired Room asks, "What 20 Little Things do you Treasure about Fall?"
Fall is my favorite season for many reasons...
1. Sweaters! I know they make you look bigger, but I've always loved sweaters, especially in the 80s; I was a Benetton addict!
2. Colors of the season. They look good on everyone, no matter your ethnicity, hair color, or skin tone. At least I think so!
3. The annual Foliage Tour! Notice the capital letters? It's a big deal in my family. Living in New England, each year my parents would take us on an all-day driving tour somewhere, along the Housatonic River, following the Mohegan Trail, antiquing in the Berkshires, and one year we went to the Anheuser Bush plant in New Hampshire!
4. The start of school. I always love getting ready to go back to school/work, anticipating what I will teach, who my students will be, and buying new school supplies.
5. Scarecrows! I don't know why, but I am a big scarecrow fan. I know they scare some people, but I think they are funny!
6. Pumpkin chiffon pie! My sister makes the best pumpkin pie in the world. Every year I want it for my birthday in May, but she never makes it for me.
7. Dutch apple pie! A close second to the pumpkin in my opinion. I have always been impressed that my sister makes it every year because getting all those apples ready seems like a lot of tedious work. But last year I first discovered that canned apples can be bought for making pies. Obviously I'm not the cook in the family! Regardless of how she makes it, I LOVE it!
8. Tea with honey. In the summer I drink iced green tea, but as soon as fall hits I enjoy hot tea with honey.
9. The scents of baking. My mom didn't use the oven much in the summer, so when the weather cooled it was homemade cookies, cakes, and brownies. I love the smell of vanilla or chocolate baking!
10. Applesauce! My mom made the best applesauce every fall. We'd all help grind the apples in the big hand grinder. She'd use glass mayonnaise jars and fill 2 shelves in the basement freezer so we'd have enough for the whole year
11. Fall spices! Cinnamon, ginger, molasses, these are all flavors I associate with fall.
12. Baskets! I know, it's a little wacky, but when I think of autumn I think of baskets full of apples or mums, and farmers gearing up for being inside all winter weaving baskets and doing other inside crafts.
13. Crafts! For some reason fall seems to inspire us to get back to crafting making home decor items for ourselves or for gifts.
14. Textures. Fall seems to be a very textural season. I think of corn husks, hay, shiny apples, scaly gourds, feathery turkeys, and harvesting seeds of many textures
15. Halloween candy. That's all I have to say on that topic!

16. Pumpkin muffins and pancakes! Why can't I get them year round? I can get blueberry year round!
17. Back to burning my scented candles! What's the point in the summer with all the windows open?
18. Sheepskin-lined slippers. Heavenly!
19. Fires in the fireplace. Maybe even making s'mores!
20. Watching the leaves change and fall from the trees.

Be sure to visit Melissa and the others who have posted their 20 Things to Treasure in Fall! Hopefully some of them won't be so food-related!

And come back on Sunday to see what will be given away beginning October 5; there are 4 great prize packs!