Fall

Never Have I Ever

October 19, 2026 by Nancy Leave a Comment

Never have I ever lived in a house with a big, wrap-around porch and a long staircase for stacking pumpkins on each step. I’ve been blessed to live in some nice, comfortable homes in my lifetime, but nope. Not one with a big front porch like that. Still that never stopped me from carving pumpkins with my boys when they were young or from creating smaller displays of pumpkins, mums, and Indian corn over the years. October brings all those memories back, and more.

For instance, never have I ever traveled through New England to take in the fall colors everyone exclaims about in Vermont or Maine. I’ve seen photos. I know they are multi-colored and awe-inspiring, but never have I ever seen them with my own eyes.

I did, however, see the multi-colored leaves in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee every year for the first twenty years of my life. And for almost 50 years now I’ve watched with anticipation for the first hint of gold in the Colorado aspen, knowing that the glorious golden show they put on annually is about to appear. It never gets old driving up in to the mountains to see the aspen groves aglow or gaze at a mountain side with pockets of gold gleaming amidst the evergreens. And we do get some color here, too! The red maples offer bright contrast and the foothills covered in scrub oak look like a patchwork quilt is being pulled up over their shoulders in preparation for winter. I’m not too deprived after all.

Fall is a wonderful time for hiking. Never have I ever hiked to the top of Pike’s Peak, America’s Mountain that towers over Colorado Springs where I live. But I have hiked on parts of it, and I’ve ridden to the top on the cog railroad and gotten to see the marmots that live among the rocks above tree line. Hot chocolate and homemade donuts at the Visitor Center are more my speed these days than climbing 14,115 feet, so I guess I’ll never do it, but I’m proud of everyone I know who reached the top on two legs.

Never have I ever been a barrel racer at a rodeo or ridden in to the arena in a sequined outfit on a white horse as “The Girl of the West,” but I grew up with a horse named Dolly who was my best friend, and I took riding lessons from my talented equestrian granddaughter in my seventies.

Never have I ever seen the dancing lights of the aurora borealis, but many times “I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky” as John Denver sang. Never have I ever swum with dolphins, but I’ve been on a boat in the midst of a super pod of 2,000 dolphins with tears running down my face at the sheer majesty of them. Never have I ever played hockey, but I once got to drive a Zamboni!

There are so many “nevers” I could mention, but those of us in the autumn of our lives will be happier thinking about all the things we’ve been blessed to experience rather than regretting what we may have missed. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to “never say never.” Many of the things we haven’t seen or done could still happen. So stay ready!

Falling Afresh

September 14, 2026 by Nancy 15 Comments

It’s been 60 years since I spent all day every day in a school building. And yet when September rolls around I get that “first day of school” excitement all over again. To me, September feels more like the time for a fresh start than January ever does. I have to rein in my shopping excursions this time of year, however, because I have a real weakness for new pencils and pens, lined notebooks, and everything else stores set out in their back-to-school displays. I’m still enjoying a purple folio I bought one year because…well, because it was purple with a purple legal pad inside. Who could resist?

Beyond the back-to-school feeling, however, are all the refreshing signs of change. My Virginia Creeper begins to take on shades of orange and gold. The tips of the leaves on the red maple behind our house hint at the bright ruby brilliance soon to come. And there’s always that one day in the fall when the light becomes noticeably different. Rather than the sun beaming down with a harsh glare, a more peaceful, golden light descends upon our world. Such a beautiful and peaceful change.

And don’t we need this season to recover from the hectic pace of summer and restore our souls to prepare for the winter to come? Maybe it’s because we remember the chilling winds and icy roads winter brings that we savor every golden September day. Autumn days are just too precious and fleeting to spend them holding on to summer or fearing what’s to come. Rather they bring an opportunity to take a deep breath or two, clip the last of the roses to bring in the house, and curl up on the back porch with a light blanket and an uplifting book.

We hear a lot about New Year’s resolutions in January, but fall is an even better time to reflect on the months of the year behind us and embrace changes that refresh us before we head in to the holiday season. If you find joy in de-cluttering your office or culling clothes from your closet, fall’s the time to do it. If you want to replace the grab-and-go meals of summer with some hearty stews and soups or pumpkin-flavored everything, now’s the time. Refresh family menus with some new recipes from those seldom opened cookbooks!

A praise hymn by Daniel Iverson contains the lyric, “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” I want to be still long enough this fall season to feel the renewal of the Spirit within me. Then I’ll have a chance of falling afresh in to the new season with joy and hope.

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Falling for Fall Again

September 30, 2024 by Nancy 15 Comments

This is a reprise of an 11-year-old post but still sets the mood for the season to come. Happy fall y’all!

Fall is here in all its glory. With each leaf that swirls and floats toward the ground, I’m reminded of what a wonderful time of year this is to make a change. Whether the change is monumental, or so small only you know the difference, it can have lasting benefits. Here are some fall-inspired ideas to get you started.

Fall in to a recliner and just relax for a change. Watch some football. Make sure there’s a big bowl of popcorn within reach. If you really must feel more productive, add a holiday craft project to the game plan. But if you just want to sit and watch football, do it guiltlessly.

Fall out of bed a half hour earlier and take a walk around the block. Soon you’ll be buried under a comforter listening to announcements of wind chill factors and school closings. Take advantage of the cool, crisp mornings to clear your head…and work off some of the popcorn you ate watching football.

Fall in to a huge pile of leaves and just lie there looking up at the blue sky and cloud formations. No leaves in your yard? Show up at a friend’s house with a rake and volunteer to help for the pure joy of having a pile of leaves all to yourself. (Don’t pick your over-achieving friends. They won’t understand.)

Fall out of the habit. You know the one I mean. If you’re still smoking, quit now before you spend another winter shivering out in the cold on cigarette breaks. Not a smoker? Sarcasm can be a habit. So can cynicism. Pick a habit you want to break before the first snow falls, and fall out of it.

Fall in love. If you’re married, fall in love with your spouse all over again. Taking five minutes to make a list of things that first attracted you to him or her is a great place to start. Focus only on those things for a week, and before you know it, you’re head over heels again. No love interest at the moment? Fall in love with an adopted kitten or puppy. Their love is unconditional, and they’ll always be around for a snuggle on a blustery evening.

Fall out of line. I’m not recommending anything illegal or immoral, just out of the ordinary. Take a new route to work. Shop at a different grocery store. Read a book by an unknown author. Be less predictable. No one will really care, and you may find out you’ve been in the wrong line anyway.

Fall in over your head. Immerse yourself in something you’ve only dipped a toe into until now. Maybe it’s a dream, a relationship, a foreign language, or a career you’ve wanted to pursue. Fall is a great time to dive in fearlessly.

It’s fall…time to make a change for all seasons.

Porch Pumpkins

October 26, 2023 by Nancy 8 Comments

As a child I wouldn’t have imagined growing or buying a pumpkin for any reason other than to turn it into a jack-o-lantern. How we’d look forward to cutting off the top and getting the squishy insides out so we could begin to carve a scary or happily grinning face, secure an old candle stub inside, and bask in the glow! Those pumpkins would sit on the front porch until they shriveled up and looked like toothless old men.

Who knew pumpkins would one day become sought after not for their ability to greet trick-or-treaters, but to add color and design to a front porch and to sit there, imagine this, uncarved? Yet this is what has happened. Now farmers grow pumpkins in white tones and shades of green to add to the perennial favorite, orange. Design-oriented homeowners, especially those blessed to have front porches with steps, mix these colorful gourds in with mums in shades of gold, white or magenta, hay bales and corn stalks to create gorgeous displays that announce fall is here.

If I’m blessed to go to the South during October I’m amazed by the extent to which people go to create these colorful autumn arrays. Not only do porches of homes have pumpkins stacked up to greet visitors with the warmth and hospitality of the season, but every shop and business gets into the spirit as well.

One year I went to a little town in northern Tennessee with my sister and brother-in-law. In Allardt, founded as a community of German immigrants, they annually hold the Great Pumpkin Festival and vendors sell pumpkin-designed everything! T-shirts, plaques, candles, lawn banners—all feature pumpkins welcoming visitors who come to see which farmer grew the largest pumpkin of the year. And the entries are huge. Each year the winning pumpkin weighs well over a ton! Because who doesn’t love a great pumpkin, Charlie Brown?

So whether you grow ‘em or buy ‘em, treat yourself to a plethora of pumpkins this fall. Create a front porch that delights all who drive by and welcomes all who visit with the very essence of the harvest season. Don’t have steps? No problem. Position a wooden ladder or upside-down bushel basket on your porch and stack pumpkins of all sizes and colors around and on it. Or create a pyramid of pumpkins up against the wall. And don’t forget to add some colorful mums or a cheerful scarecrow. Happy fall, y’all!

All Things Pumpkin

September 29, 2020 by Nancy 18 Comments

It’s coming! The season when mango-flavored everything gives way to pumpkin-flavored everything, and I’m not just talking about the pumpkin spice latte at the corner coffee shop—although I will indulge in at least one of those.

Just walking into a grocery store this time of year lets you know pumpkin season is upon us. Outside the door are miniature pumpkins and gourds to nestle into fall arrangements with mums and colorful corn. Inside are pumpkins for carving and pumpkins for baking—and anyone willing to remove the slimy pulp inside of the pumpkin, separate and toast the pumpkin seeds, and use the pulp in a recipe is certainly deserving of the richest pumpkin flavor imaginable.

For the rest of us, it’s Libby’s canned pumpkin to the rescue. Pumpkin pie—it’s not just for Thanksgiving anymore—and pumpkin bread are always welcome treats. Then there are pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pancakes. No wonder we fall for all things pumpkin!

Yet not everything is enhanced by pumpkin flavor. Who would want pumpkin Jell-O? And while pumpkin beer may seem seasonally appropriate, do beer drinkers really drink it? I probably won’t choose a pumpkin ice cream cone or milkshake either, even if it is the flavor of the month. (Not even pumpkin can lure me away from chocolate.) And a recipe I saw for pumpkin chai tea didn’t appeal at all.

Nothing says fall like a precariously perched pile of pumpkins, however! I even saw a whole house made out of pumpkins in Nashville last year. And not all pumpkins are orange. Decorators have discovered white pumpkins and mix them with all shapes and sizes of smaller pumpkins and gourds.

Choosing the perfect pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern is a fall tradition kids look forward to, and visiting a local pumpkin patch can be especially fun when a hayride and hot apple cider are a part of the experience.

Nope, you can’t fight it this time of year so get “pumpkined.” Put some pumpkin spice creamer in your coffee, light a pumpkin-scented candle, and pay homage to the flavor and scent of pumpkin season. It will be gone before we know it.

Are You a Season Clinger?

October 28, 2019 by Nancy 10 Comments

You know us when you see us. Those of us who can’t quite let go of the season we are losing to fully embrace the one that is coming. Especially when it means letting go of summer to embrace fall or fall to embrace winter.

We’re the ones in the grocery store in a turtleneck, a vest, shorts and sandals. We’re the ones who keep bringing in our outdoor potted plants every night to protect them from below freezing temperatures because we just know warm days will return. And we’re the ones who leave our hummingbird feeders up until the nectar’s been frozen for several days in a row.

In our defense, however, it’s easy to understand why Colorado residents might be clinging to summer and fall both this year. Summer temperatures and blossoms were late in arriving, and an early frost cheated us of the beautiful showing of fall leaves on trees at lower elevations.

When I left for a trip, the red maple behind our house was just beginning to show tinges of red around the edges of each leaf. I came back a week later excited to see it flaming red as in years past, but no. All the leaves had already turned brown and were blowing away with each wind. “Wait!” I wanted to scream. “You haven’t turned bright red yet!”

In the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, however, the author Solomon reminds us that: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Reading through his reminders of such things as a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to mourn and on and on, I realize it could be time to let go of fall and embrace winter.

What does this mean? It’s time to switch summer T-shirts and sundresses for sweaters and corduroy pants in our closets. It’s time to detach the hose, prune the perennials, empty the pots and store them. It’s time to dig out the boots, the mittens and scarves and fill the hall closet with warm winter coats.

Solomon goes on to write that God has made everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The pot of impatiens I couldn’t bring myself to sacrifice is almost as beautiful in the house as it was on the front porch in July, and I only have to look outside my window this morning to remember that the coming winter season will have beauty all its own. Okay, God, I surrender. You’re telling me it’s time to let go and move on, so I will. As always, I trust Your timing.