The Season of Good Things and Giving

Autumn to me is the season of good things and giving. There is something in the air, even at the first hints of the coming of Autumn, that electrifies my soul. Autumn feeds my senses with delights.

When the first colors start to make their appearance, my eyes feast on the variations. There is something thrilling about discovering the first leaves of color change. I love the colors of Autumn!

I love the tastes of Autumn. Surely you've noticed that the flavor of our food completely changes when the season changes. I start to crave things like beef stew and soups, home made bread and pecan pie. My newest craving is for some of these sticky-bun pumpkin muffins Mom made last weekend. Just their name has "Fall" written all over it! I can't wait to try the recipe when we get home.



The food falls into the scents of Autumn as well. I can just imagine how wonderful those muffins must smell. But even more than the scents of the food, I love the sharp smells the outside air takes on. The smells of baked grasses, warm earth, and so much more. I couldn't even really pin point what all goes into the "smell of Autumn" but it does have its own smell and I enjoy every whiff I get.

I love the sounds of Autumn! The crunch of dry grasses under my boots, the rattle of the breeze in dried leaves.

Even the birds songs seem to change. They are just as pretty as ever, but they seem to carry a new message, a note of "hurry," a calling together of friends to prepare for what's to come. I love listening to the birds songs in Autumn.

Another sound of Autumn for me is the music of George Winston. When I was a girl, my mom shared a record album with me. It was called December and I loved it. I've loved it ever since.  When the colors start to appear in the trees, and the grasses start to crunch, and good food starts to be craved, I get my December CD out and start listening to it.

It wasn't just the December album that my Mom gave me really, but a treasure of good music. I have since acquired a number of George Winston's albums and listen to them frequently. My other favorite of his is his Autumn album, and it too gets played frequently during this season.

There is just something about this season that speaks to me. Does it speak to you too? There is something exciting about it. And I love to share good things with my good friends. I can't share those muffins with you when I bake some, and I can't go for a walk with you on a beautiful fall day, but I can share the music of autumn with you! Here is a little sampling. Can you hear why I love it so much?

A few of my favorite songs from my favorite two albums are on that playlist. And since Autumn begins, at least for me, a season of giving, I'm going to share the music of my favorite pianist further by giving these 2 Cd's to someone. I'll draw a name from the comments list next Monday, 10/10/11. If you would like a chance to be the one receiving the the Autumn and December CDs, all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post and share with us what your favorite thing about Autumn is.

(And before I go, I just wanted to share a note on the cabin pictures in this post. This cabin sits by the road down near the summer pasture. It is an old log church, with a tiny graveyard hidden in the tall grasses nearby. I know nothing about its age or history, but hope to learn more about it in the future. I bet it has a story to tell.)