afternoon drive.

I woke up to Jeremy nudging me, “Look Kierst, all the leaves are changing.”

We were flying over Tennessee on our way home from Texas last Friday. As usual, I had dozed off on the plane.

Fall is our favorite season. It’s the time of year when we fell in love, and we always welcome the sweet elements of cool air, colorful crackling leaves, and warm sunsets bright as a bonfire flame.

Yesterday I drove around our neighborhood with the windows down and gathered up all the beauty of a new season and simple pleasures. I love our neighborhood. This time of year especially, it truly feels like we live in a little town full of rustic cottages and friendly faces.

A stop at the new floral shop on 16th Street yielded two white pumpkins for our front porch, and eleven strands of lily grass to twist in a vase on the table. I’m not sure why I passed up the rich blue hydrangea blooms or the huge cheerful sunflowers. I just felt drawn to simple, earthy beauty, and long blades of green seemed perfect.

I made it to the cozy local bakery next door just minutes before their 2 o’clock closing time and chose a miniature loaf of sugar-dusted banana bread to split with Jeremy, and a gourmet peanut butter dog bone for Sam.

Driving along, I noticed all the porches overflowing with potted mums in rust and gold, and gourd collections toppling down the steps. I glanced at the street names as I passed, some I had never seen before, like one that was actually called Fall Street. After Fall was Benjamin, and Bronte, and Katherine. Our neighborhood feels literary for lots of reasons besides its street names. A mixture of characters mull about, some waving with their dog leashes in hand while others keep their heads down---young boys who might be up to trouble as they hurry down the very center of the street.

I found Shelby Park at the end of the road. The ducks were all out in the pond, swimming and quacking to signify their approval of autumn, and I listened to the leaves scraping the ground beyond their chatter.

At home, we are nurturing ourselves with home-cooked meals, good red wine, and tasty squares of chocolate that Jeremy bought from the organic food market a few blocks away. We’ve been burning a harvest-scented candle that glows and warms the house all day long. I have embraced a need to make lasagna and have everything clean and organized…every drawer is being sorted through, things being put into place.

It’s a good time of year, full of memories and sadness and peace moving through the air…while orange and yellow leaves drift down onto the lawn.