HodgePodge 9.24.25

 

Linking up with Joyce today for HodgePodge!

1. Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? 

Ugh.  Fall.  That's what this post is all about. . .it's not that I don't *like* it or don't think it's beautiful. . .but honestly, in my head, I've never liked fall because it leads into winter which I really don't like.  I know, I know. . .seasons (it's the name of my blog!), change, time of rest, etc, etc.  The above picture is THE highlight of fall/autumn for me.  Ironically enough, my FAVORITE holiday falls in the fall - Thanksgiving.  It's my favorite by a lot. . .good food, family, games, no activities/shopping/work (for the most part - at the theatre I almost always worked Thanksgiving), tradition, allergy season is mostly over, and no expectations of gift exchanges.  The picture above is last year, the picture below was five years ago when Debbie's (Thanksgiving hostess extraordinaire) family was in town from New York.  I think she's been hosting (and we've been taking these pictures) for well over 15 years.  One year Debbie's family decided to go to Disney instead of hosting but otherwise we've been fortunate enough to have this as our tradition for most of our children's lives.  I love that she is always intentional about setting up a place to do fall family photos.

My all-time-always-favorite FALL picture - Amanda took this in 2009 and this is the post that accompanies it.

When I typed "fall" into my photo app it gave me 1-2 "leaves turning" pictures (I must not appreciate that as much as other scenery?) but a TON of beach/FL pictures - ha!  I must like to be on the east coast or on the Gulf in the fall. The is my forever favorite picture of my brother and me down at his place a few years ago in November I think:

It was sunny but COLD. 

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

College Football - we try to always attend a game

This was our tailgate last year.  My sis can't come this year but hoping to see our other friends on the end!

A trip to FL and/or SC 

right now only SC is on the calendar - with the wedding this year IDK that a football weekend with my brother is going to pan out.

A trip to OH - 

This was last year :)

Sometimes the weather is PERFECT in the fall, as are the colors.  Some years it's beautiful and we can spend the time outdoors and some years it's rainy and we're just cold and damp.  We'll see what weather does this weekend :)

Birthdays - even though Stephen and Tom's birthdays aren't technically in the fall, September is close enough.

Stephen and Tom a couple weeks ago

And then Laura and Robert a couple years ago with their cake-baker, neighborhood grandparent Barbara.  They are celebrating again together this year the first weekend of November.  

Cleaning the garage - funny enough, this has become a Fall Bucket List item for the last couple of years.  We got it done last weekend - I always love a swept-out, decluttered (as much as possible) garage to pull into!

I found this post when looking for something else - we had a Fall Bucket list in 2012 :) In reading the post it looks like the kids kept asking to do things, so I said "write it on the board and we'll do it over Fall Break".  I'm thankful for these memories on this ol' blog o' mine.

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

Apples, cranberries, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and pumpkins, in that order.  Love anything apple, unless it's "apple flavored" - ick.  Dried cranberries are great in salads and cookies.  I'll choose sweet potato fries over a baked sweet potato - never a sweet potato casserole (too sweet).  Butternut squash is just fine to eat, but I don't prefer a chunk of pumpkin - do like the flavor so a bite or two of pie, a pumpkin cookie or muffin, etc.  area ll good :). Last night we had our monthly Birthday Friends dinner and our dessert-maker made something "apple" for us (yes, it WAS delicious!)

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Elaborate. 

I love change - I wouldn't say all change is "beautiful" - some change is hard or unwelcome - but, for the most part, I love change in my environment, whether it's a room or an entire city, but I like my friends and family to stay in my life - I don't need change there - ha!  I like that our family is changing by growing this December and do like to change up the foods I eat on a daily and weekly basis.

I am married to someone whose mantra is (jokingly, obviously), "change is bad" - how did that happen?!?  

5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwestern Wyoming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

I live in East TN, a destination for many (the Great Smoky Mountains) for fall color.  The only thing that I think I might enjoy doing at come point is The Virginia Creeper Trail, mainly because it's hard to live here and constantly tell people, "no, we've never done that".  I also lived in Michigan and Ohio growing up and those states have beautiful, stunning fall foliage.  I like to read about the color and atmosphere of the NE USA in the fall but that isn't really on my bucket list, as are none listed from the Lonely Planet.  Doesn't mean that I wouldn't like experiencing those things, I just don't think I'd ever take the time to make a PLAN to do it.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This was my Monday morning journaling - a "hard" Sunday (no reason, we'll just say "change of life" - physically and emotionally - and lots of questions) and a "great" Saturday of pickleball and being productive.  I don't like "unfinished" and I don't like not having a clear "to-do" or path forward and I guess that's what this puzzle represents - the "easy" parts are done, the defined spaces of the puzzle, and now all that sky and beautiful (but same) colors and hidden birds. . .idk. . .it's kind of where I'm at.  Then there are the parts of life I don't want to loose, like my pickleball friends, being active, the freedom of time that comes with grown children, being a PART of something.  I think that's what it comes down to. . .we all just want to "fit" somewhere, right?

Gosh, didn't mean for my "random thought" to be that but here we are!  I had a lot to say on a random HodgePodge Wednesday I guess!!  Thank you, Joyce, for the link-up and good prompts :)