The 'ber Months Are Here

It is the fifth day of September, and I could not be more thrilled. I love the 'ber months: September, October, November, and December. This time of year is my absolute favorite. I love the cooler temperatures, changing leaves, autumn harvests, everything pumpkin spice, and sweater weather. I live for the 'ber months. For the rest of the year, I am merely putting in the time until the 'ber months arrive. September is just the beginning. It is the prelude to the holidays. In September, we are given the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming whirlwind of months filled with activity, fall festivals, holiday celebrations, and the grand finale, Christmas. I do indeed love the 'ber months.

I feel most myself in the fall, with its moody days, chilly nights, and days filled with bright sunshine, colorful leaves, and cool evenings. My creativity always runs higher in the fall, and our farm offers endless inspiration. The sights, scents, and sounds of nature during the autumnal season are my favorite. The crickets sing in the evening, Canadian geese fly overhead calling to one another as they prepare to migrate for the winter, the squirrels scurry about collecting hickory nuts and acorns for the upcoming winter, the deer graze in the fields, and the owls are more vocal at night. The leaves will soon put on their yearly display of autumn regalia. The maples and hickory trees are my absolute favorite, with their bright yellow leaves. The air takes on a crisp scent filled with freshly mown hay, damp earth, falling leaves, and sweet pears. I wish I could bottle that scent and carry it with me all year.

We settle into a comforting routine during the 'ber months. The days are shorter, dinner time is earlier, and the early nightfall offers longer hours of reading, movie watching, and the occasional board game. We turn to warm, filling meals of comfort food. The 'ber months are also soup season months in our home—some of us like soup more than others. Despite the unpopular belief that soup is not a meal, we have soup once a week or so during the 'ber months. I find nothing more comforting than a large pot of soup on the stove, a loaf of crusty bread, a crisp salad, and hot tea. Add a good book, a blustery night, and chilly temperatures; it is autumnal perfection.

I have a reading agenda for this fall and winter. I intend to purchase and read all the L.M. Montgomery books before spring. Ann of Green Gables is my perfect fall read, but L.M. Montgomery wrote many other novels, poems, and short stories: Emily of New Moon, Rilla of Ingleside, Jane of Lantern Hill, and Pat of Silverbush, to name a few. I'm excited to begin this reading journey. Perhaps The Bean will join me and fall in love with L.M. Montgomery like I have. I enjoy sitting by the fireplace while the leaves fall and the wind blows, reading a good book, and drinking a warm cup of tea. My friends from Broken Locust, Pat and Sherrie, create the perfect autumn blend of tea that is so delicious it doesn't need honey or sugar. I plan to stock up at our Fall at the Farm event on October 19th.

Soon, the farmer's market will be filled with brightly colored mums, pumpkins, and fall floral arrangements. My porch will also be filled with pumpkins that will be turned into jack-o-lanterns and colorful mums. The fall decor will soon be displayed, and we will sit on the porch in the evenings, covered with soft blankets and a whiskey neat or a warm cup of tea. I need to buy some Apple Crown Royal in honor of my dad. A bottle lasts for years but is a sentimental nod to my dad's memory. It's a liquid hug.

Relish September, dear reader. It is the quiet prelude to the upcoming busy holiday season. Enjoy the fall festivals, break out the cozy sweaters, drink the apple cider, eat the pumpkin bread and apple fritters, enjoy the autumn symphony nature performs each night, cozy up with a good book, and relish the long evenings. It's the perfect time of year.

On this lovely September day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the 'ber months and all they offer, and keep washing your hands. Unfortunately, the 'ber months often offer up cold and flu season, so wash those hands frequently.