Fall Friday Five

It's that time of year, at least north of the equator. The windows are still open, but the darned furnace comes on early in the morning. My husband went out for a walk after an early supper and came home in full darkness.

And yes, where we live, leaves are beginning to turn.

As this vivid season begins, tell us five favorite things about fall:

1) A fragrance
It's a toss up for me on this one (and others as well really, I think fall is my favorite season of the year). Pine is a smell that comes to mind for me, especially with a hint of campfire in the background. Although, I think the slight winner goes to damp leaves. I don't know what it is, but I love that smell.

2) A color
I suppose it depends a little. If it is clothing, it's probably more of a rust color. If we're talking leaves on a tree we're looking at something more like the bright yellow or red. The combination of the two on a woods in the distance is unbeatable, unless of course you add sunrise or sunset to the equation.

3) An item of clothing
One of the reasons I love fall is that things start cool down a bit. It is this time of year where you break out your sweatshirts and you can just live in them. I have a sweatshirt that my wife gave me last year for Christmas. Hands down my favorite fall item.

4) An activity
Wandering the woods. In years past that meant going for a run. Now that I'm currently not in such good shape, I think that might mean more of a meandering walk. A few years ago I ran a 1/2 marathon that brought us through a state park on the hiking trails with the colors at their peak. That was absolutely AWESOME!!! In fact, it's giving me the chills right now thinking about it.

5) A special day
Again, there are many fond memories. In college before our home invitational the cross-country team would venture down to a local park and we had to catch a leaf before going home. We put that leaf in our shoe the next day for good luck. I have also run a couple of marathons (mostly Twin Cities) which have wonderful memories. However, maybe one of the best would have to be three years ago this October on a beautiful fall day I was ordained. That was a pretty special day.