Monday Morning

There's a promise of autumn in the early morning air. Oh, I know it isn't even the end of August yet, but I feel the autumn sneaking up. There is a touch of fresh coolness in the air in the morning, and an encouraging slant to the sunlight in the afternoon.

Autumn in this part of the Southwest is lovely. We don't enjoy a lot of color change except for trees we landscape with. We do get lots of yellow wildflowers, and an exciting change of temperature. After the long weeks of summer, the cool of the fall air is pure delight. We also get apples ripening, shorter days and soon, the bugles of rutting bull elk.

Pumpkins in our gardens are coloring up nicely now. It's time to pick the peaches and apricots that survived a late-spring cold snap. When I get out of bed in the morning, my fuzzy robe is starting to tempt me. It's still much too warm for a fuzzy robe, but it won't be long now.

I always look forward to sleeping under heavy blankets, my face cool and my body warm. I sleep much better with the weight of a blanket. Sitting out on the porch, wrapped in a warm robe and a blanket, too, with my morning coffee is something else I anticipate happily. Our porch faces west, so the afternoon sun warms it beautifully in the fall.

The cooler autumn temperatures make baking a joy again, and making hot soups and hearty stews becomes a pleasure. After the summer of light salads, I love eating "real food" again. I feel brighter and more energetic and anxious for my time at home.

All of that was promised to me this morning when I went outside and felt a kiss of autumn in the air.