A How-To Guide: .... and, breathhhhe

What's that scent? From where I'm sitting, pretty sure it's the lavender cleaning spray that I just used in the other room. Ahhh... so good.

The season of Autumn awakens my senses. Everything has an extra buzzy energy. True? Yes? No? Or maybe it's just me. Seems this time of year my body and mind are more receptive to sights, sounds and smells, not to mention taste and touch.

Sights ~

Past few days, photos of leaves turning posted on Twitter via links from NASA, Vermont Public Radio, and 9News Denver have been such a treat. See...

New England Fall Colors
Image by NASA Earth Observatory
via Mashable

Vermont Fall Foliage
Image by Vermont Outdoor Guides

Roosevelt National Forest CO
Image by Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post

Sounds ~ Puppy snores! Shhhh... Shadow dog and Sombra dog seem to be sleeping more soundly now that the evening temps have dropped a bit. I love my dogs.

Scents ~ Irresistibly yummy oven-baked goodies... I've already had a few too many. Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip cookies, Spice Cake, Apple danish, etc. Oh boy, this has got to stop already. Can't wait for that first batch of pumpkin pancakes to come off the griddle. They don't even need a drop of syrup. And applewood smoked bacon... oh my! Good thing Mom's diabetic fall favorites are on deck for tomorrow's baking.

Flavors ~ I fittingly covered spices above, so in this category, it's gonna have to be cinnamony, mexican style hot chocolate, spicy herbal teas, and anything cranberry. Savory or sweet, bring them all on. We are in the third day of October and the house has already been filled with the scent of Spice cake baking in the oven; topped w/ cream cheese frosting... and various sweets mentioned above... delish. I decided this morning that chili would be on Sunday's dinner menu. I'm looking forward to picking up ingredients and bringing together all the wonderful spices that make my chili hard to pass up. Giant dutch oven is out and read for business.

The Feels ~ Puppy snuggles, soft cotton flannel throws at night - with a/c and fans still running of course. The wonder and awe that overcomes while gazing at sparkly stars against especially dark skies while enjoying the much cooler night air.. and it's only going to get better as the weeks roll on. I'm hoping for an especially unusual and lengthy cold season. I still feel a bit homesick for Colorado during this time of year; I'm hopeful we'll have a family road trip back as soon as we have a larger place to live so that we can bring our household belongings that are in storage there back here to California. Someday.

Tell me what Autumn brings that fill up your senses.

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