Wow! It's been forever since I've blogged. I almost forgot how fun it is.

Sunday, October 1st, was our first day of rain this fall. It was a steady gentle rain--all day. I had gathered the apples off our Granny Smith apple tree a few days previous and my daughters peeled and sliced apples until we had enough to make a homemade apple pie. Talk about an All-American family!

I used to love fall season the most as a girl. Then strangely, one day it seemed to make me almost sad. It happened during the years when we lived at 7200 feet in the mountains. Our summers were short, and the coming of fall meant that winter, with lots of snow and cold weather, was only days away. It meant that the wild flowers at the higher elevations would soon disappear. It meant the end of lakeside picnics and walks through the woods. The snow would pile up to 12 to 15 feet at times in the winter, and though I loved the beauty of it, by spring, I would be longing for a green patch of grass in the yard and flowers blooming in my barren planter boxes.

Now that we've lived at a lower elevation for 10 years, I can again appreciate the change of weather that fall brings. It means getting shelters ready for our outdoor animals, covering the hay again so it won't get moldy, and wiping the mud off the floor more regularly. However, I don't feel sorrow now, like before. I welcome the change and cooler weather.

Welcome Fall!