(Image by Cat Man)
Yes, I am a day late in announcing the arrival of Autumn (for those whose seasons coincide with those here in the U.S.), but am certainly not a day late in celebrating it. Monday morning arrived with highs in the 60’s, clouds, and rain. It really was a perfect Autumn day. It had just that bit of melancholy that floats upon the autumn breezes which makes me love the season so. While the R.I.P. IV Challenge is rapidly nearing the half way point, the season change and the weather change is an apt reminder that it is indeed the right time of year for the creepy, the mysterious, the harrowing and the suspenseful. Isn’t it delicious?!?!
After work, and before the season opening of House, I took some time to play some suitably melancholic music while I sat in my favorite chair and let the cool breeze flow in from the window:
I can’t help but be drawn to this live performance by Lauren Thomson. Not only is she very talented, but this was filmed in Wellington by one of the main Lord of the Rings behind the scenes film makers, Costa Botes. Add that to the fact that the song is called “Autumn Rain” and it just screams Fall! 🙂
Seeing the trees with the leaves off and seeing her breath in the cold air reminds me of the later days of autumn and the song is suitably sad. When she is sitting in the chair by the fire and looks up to see the moon beaming through the trees, I cannot help buy think of Gaiman’s story October in the Chair.
I don’t know what it is about unplugged sets, but when a group/singer is talented there is just something amazing about the more raw versions of their songs. I love the studio version of Sometime Around Midnight, but this version of Airborne Toxic Avenger’s hit song is my absolute favorite. Do you sense a tragic theme here? 🙂 Am I the only one who loves autumn not just because of the beautiful colors of the changing leaves and the wonderful crispness to the air but also because of the sadness of things dying and/or going to sleep for the long winter?
Enya is someone who I always associated with Autumn and Winter, even more so when she was featured in The Fellowship of the Ring. All I know is that the moment the temperatures started to change at the end of August (a pleasant surprise compared to our usual summers), I pulled out my Enya collection and she began accompanying me to and from work. This song, The Memory of Trees, has always struck me as something belonging to the fall season. The title makes me think of Fangorn Forest and the Ents and of just what trees dream about when they bed down for the winter.
When Enya is not in the CD player it has been Kate Rusby’s album, Underneath the Stars, that has been setting the autumn mood for me. So many of these songs are wonderfully melancholic. Cruel especially so. We also recently watched all 8 films in the Hornblower series and this music reminds me of that.
And to close this autumn musical interlude, the title song. I borrowed this CD from the library a couple of months ago and it is almost time to take it back. Not sure I can part with it. I might have to wait a day and check it out all over again!
_____________________________
The beginning of Autumn calls for a celebration, and to celebrate I decided to offer the second giveaway for this year’s R.I.P. Challenge.
A collection of postcards by one of my favorite artists, Anne-Julie Aubry.
All you need to do qualify for the drawing is comment on this post by Saturday 11:59 p.m. CST. I’ll draw a winner and post results in this weekend’s Short Story Sunday post. Tell me about your autumn rituals, music you particularly associate with the change of seasons, or whatever you feel like sharing.
And just in case you are wondering, the postcards pictured above are sitting on this:
I picked this up (its about 2 feet long) last year at a Pier 1 in St. Louis when we went to see Colleen Gleason at her book signing. I had packed it away and forgotten about it last fall so it was great to actually remember it this year. It has a prominent place on the coffee table and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
Welcome to Autumn 09!
_________________________
Adding to the Autumn/R.I.P. Giveaways, Susan is hosting a Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King giveaway. When you are done taking your chances here, try lady luck over there as well. Here is the link.
________________________
UPDATE:
I was given the honor of guest posting today over at Temple Library Reviews. Harry has put the link up. If you are interested in some H.P. Lovecraft talk, please take the time to visit here.
Isn’t it great to find things packed away? I’ve been doing that for awhile now, cleaning out my parents’ home.
Those look cute and creepy at the same time. I love them!
Those postcards are awesome! I wish I had seasonal music, but I generally listen to whatever fits my mood on any given day. Lately Yiruma has been very prominent on my playlist. Beautiful, calming piano music as my days seems to slow down some now that summer is coming to a close.
Fall is my favorite season! It’s full of beauty with the changing of the leaves and the cooling of the weather! Halloween is my favorite holiday and it starts of the Christmas season as well for me. And since I’m new to the blogging world I’m also enjoying this challenge which is all about spookiness! I also listen to Enya anytime of the year, but especially love it during this time of year. Yeah, to Autumn!
No need to enter me into this prize drawing; when you showed us the work of Anne-Julie Aubry (last year?) I was so immediately drawn to her that I placed a huge order from her French atelier. It is just beautiful, and I have a framed print of the dark haired girl between the birch trees in my bathroom. It reminds me of me, actually, if I may be so bold, and just speaks to my heart. So, thank you, Carl, for introducing us to such wonderful talent.
OH, the postcards are beautiful. The plate is stunning, too. How fun to find something you’d forgotten about!
I absolutely love those postcards and if I don’t win them, I’m certainly going to buy some from her Etsy shop! What a perfect giveaway.
The October Season for me? Other than being my favorite season because of warm-ish days and chilly nights? I got married on Halloween. This year will be our fifth anniversary.
Wow, I’ve never heard of the artist, but the cards are beautiful. Cool giveaway.
I would love to have those post cards, they look so awesome. 🙂
Beautiful cards!
when the weather changes (which it has not yet here- 90 today!) we switch from lemonade to spiced cider, airy wafer cookies to ones chewy and dark with spice. Flannel sheets go on the beds and the awful day of switching the thermostat from A/C to heat will be happening soon, I’m sure.
I love fall, and I love Anne-Julie! For some reason fall always makes me listen to Sarah Mclachlan’s “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” album. I;m not sure if it’s because I discovered it during a fall in college, or just the sound of it. But there you have.
Fall for me also means reading spooky stories – Halloween is my favorite holiday, after all!
Fall means birthdays and anniversaries in our house. My birthday, my anniversary, and both of my daughter’s birthdays are in October. It’s a busy month.
For whatever reason, I find myself listening to R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People more often in the fall. I also like to listen to the Once soundtrack a lot right now. I can’t say that either of those albums have strong fall ties for me, but AftP has been a fall favorite for a long time now.
I love those postcards, Carl. I’ve got my fingers crossed. That plate is stunning. What a beautiful decoration!
My autumn rituals have more to do with clothing; I start shifting my closet, bringing out my fall shoes and pushing the summer ones towards the back. I start reaching for sweaters and tights again, and I look forward to wearing boots!
I also start drinking a lot of hot chocolate. 🙂
Loved all the music Carl! I should start borrowing CDs from my library-I never thought of that.
HIya,
Those postcards are really beautiful. Wow! Though Autumn is my favorite season, i do not have a lot of music associations for this time of year. (I love Kate Rusby any time of year. My son and I listen to all of her CDs on a daily basis). I have mostly book and movie associations.
Halloween is my all time favorite movie. I have seen it about 152 times! Horror movies were always a fave for us growing up. In fact, if my sister and I remembered the theme of the homily at church we were allowed to rent a horror movie that week. Weird, huh? But boy did we listen.
I used to read gregory maguire every fall for the longest time and John saul.
Great giveway. Sign me up.
Red Headed Book Child
I am in. 🙂 These post cards are just what I need.
Love the postcards. Fall isn’t about music for me, it is about my birthday and canning up fall’s harvest. Even as I write this comment, I’m waiting on the apples I have in the canner to come to a boil. (Not to mention the bbq sauce that has been simmering for over 24 hours after tripling the recipe.)
Of course, there has to be at least one rainy day visit to a cider mill to complete the fall experience. And, one can never forget the Halloween season.
A ritual? Is it a ritual of sorts to take out alllll of my candles? You know the ones, the ones that smell like Fall. It’s not quite Fall here (100 degrees today) but I am getting ready to pull out all of my neat hurricane holders for the dozens and I mean dozens of PartyLite candles I own.
I love the postcards. It will be hard to part with them, but I know the perfect recipient of at least one. I can’t wait to share them if I win.
With the arrival of fall I begin to read under an afghan rather than in the sunroom. Flannel sheets are not far behind here as well.
Thank you!
Fall rituals? Hmm, I guess I start cooking and baking again, after a summer of mostly cold or minimally cooked food. And of course pull out my favourite sweaters (though it is not quite cool enough for them yet).
Those postcards are gorgeous. What an amazing artist. Thanks for having another giveaway; what a generous challenge host you are. 🙂
Fall means the start of Christmas music around our house. Seriously. My husband thinks cool weather means Christmas is coming. He started playing it this weekend.
I’m OK with that, as I love Christmas music. 🙂
I personally look forward to sweaters. I love my sweaters! I miss them all summer!
I WANT THOSE CARDS! They are so beautiful. Fall is my favorite time of year. I’m breaking out the decorations this weekend.
Nely
~Love acoustic versions of songs.
~Enter me please in this spooky-ooky giveaway.
~I submitted a link on your site for my Stephen King Nightmares and Dreamscapes giveaway, somewhere, on a Mr. Linky thingie.
I always usher in Fall by standing eggs on the equinox. In fact, I still haven’t done that today, so I’m off to do it as soon as I leave this comment.
Those cards are lovely. 🙂
Those post cards are creepy, I love them….I will have to check out more stuff by her.
I love the tree up top! My computer is too slow playing back the video so I’ll have to watch them downstairs (when my son gets off). The cards and the rest of her art is amazing. I’m so glad of of introduction. That is one HUGE and beautiful leaf! Wasn’t it like a second gift remembering it for this year?
You, my friend, are not alone. I love the emotion of Autumn; everything is winding down for a deep slumber and in a sense preparing for new life. Every year around this time I become melancholic (plus I lost someone dear to me in winter…so the memory of that loss begins to creep up on me). As far as rituals go, my choice of music, reading preferences, and the artwork I create becomes a lot more tragic. (This week I actually drew a collection of pictures featuring a homicidal butterfly..if that says anything at all about my state of mind. LOL)
By the way, it’s because of you that I discovered Aubrey’s artwork some time last year, so thank you for that and thank you for this opportunity to win those gorgeous postcards. 🙂
Those are beautiful, Carl – thanks for another great giveaway!
I almost drooled all over the postcards 😛
Today Sydney was attacked by eerie orange dust storm. I woke up in the morning to find all the windows in my house glow reddish. Then I went out to find the air was all orange with not many people on the streets (but I went to work anyway — good old me). It’s like the end of the world. I may post a few pictures later. It’s totally odd phenomenon. I should’ve just stayed home and read creepy books. *sigh*
Autumn is my favorite season after spring, I like cool clear days with comfortable nights.
Pumpkin EVERYTHING. Pumpkin candles. Pumpkin colored cardigans. Pumpkin Apple Butter. Pumpkin muffins….
Even throw in some Smashing Pumpkins (LOL)
I LOVE Autumn! I have an Autumn/Halloween “display” at the top of my blog that I update daily with Autumnal or Halloween legends and lore. I also love Enya. I have some of her songs on my blog playlist, although I hear having music on your blog is a faux pas! Oh well. It’s book inspired music (to me anyway). I think Loreena McKennitt has an autumnal/winter sound as well. She’s on my playlist too. Autumn is just a beautiful season…the air is crisp and cool, the first smells of woodburning are evident and the colors are brilliant. Stop by my blog and check out my seasonal display and my music, if you like. http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/
I’m also with Rebecca (above). I start playing Christmas music in October too…I’m a Christmas fanatic!
Thanks for the contest! Great postcards!
I love the changing of the season but don’t like the cold spell it brings. The cards remind me of something from a Tim Burton movie.
Fall showed up right on time here in Maryland too. My fall rituals are all about picking apples for pies, pumpkin patches, jumping in leaf piles. The normal stuff. The postcards are great. Thanks for chance to win.
Lovely!
I am pining for what passes for fall here in the Bay Area where we are having an inexplicable heat weave – temps over 80 or over 90 in a place where most of us have no air conditioning is zero fun. It also wreaks havoc on the fire potential.
I noticed some trees near the house starting to turn red, though, so I’m holding my breath for the Bay Area air conditioning to kick in & entering myself in your giveaway.
Today was a lovely fall day, I enjoy this warmer part of the fall season when the temperture is just right.
I rememeber when you had a giveaway of Anne-Julie Aubry artwork! I loved it and since I didn’t win I would love to be entered for a chance at the postcards.
Really unique and awesome prizes!! I’ve been celebrating autumn by reading lots of mysteries! I also picked up some mini-pumpkins yesterday at the grocery store. One is even white and orange striped! It was fun to come home today and see them on my counter.
Meg
Does the picture at the start of this post make anyone else think of the Fireys from Labyrinth?
No need to enter me. We’re not getting even a remote hint of autumn, down here in the underbelly of the U.S., but it’s nice to know things are cooling off elsewhere; it gives me hope. 🙂 I love your leaf dish. The colors are beautiful. And, lucky you getting to meet Colleen! Isn’t she a doll?
Love the postcards, and love the tree picture even more! How stunning! There’s nothing quite as wonderful as autumn, in my opinion!
nbmars AT yahoo DOT com
What beautiful postcards, and what a fine man you are to make them a giveaway prize!
Autumn for me is like waking up, coming out of hibernation again. The air this time of year is filled with possibilities and a special kind of magic. At no other time do my senses sing with such clarity and joy. Ah, yes…this is also the very best time to cuddle up with a soft, warm sweater, a glass of Bailey’s and a very good book.
Thank you, Carl!
What a lovely post and beautiful images, Carl, I absolutely love autumn and am looking forward to the beginning of October when I head to Scotland for my annual holiday. One of the places we stay at is in Dunkeld and is surrounded by wonderfully wooded hills and I always think of the Ents when I am there.
Please count me in for the giveaway!
Those look like John Jude Palencar tree trunks to me. Just strip away all the leaves.
Don’t enter me into any drawings please.
Those postcards are great and I would love to be entered in the giveaway.
As for the autumn, I have to confess my ignorance and say that this year is the first time I noticed that in the US the date for the official coming of autumn is different than where I live. I am fascinated by this difference as I’ve been taking for granted the fact that autumn comes on September 1 all my life, and it is amazing to me how, in other parts of the world, people take a different date for granted (I’m thinking your date has been chosen because of the equinox, which makes a lot of sense, and yet… wow)
And to think that on my other, non-book blog I’ve been celebrating the coming of autumn for weeks now. People must have thought I’m mad.
I love the postcards — very cool. I am thrilled that fall is officially here; it’s my favorite season. I’m slowly getting out the seasonal decorations and noticing the leaves are beginning to change.
Your leaf plate is absolutely gorgeous. I just love fall!!! Now if only it felt like it here…79 yesterday and muggy! 🙁
The postcards are so beautiful. I just love Anne-Julie Aubry’s work.
Happy Fall Carl!
It’s been autumnal in London for the few weeks. There’s been a definite chill in the air. Autumn always puts me in a nostalgic mood and I’ve been listening to songs from my early teens and dreaming about the past.
I do love the Autumnal turn the weather takes and I coordinately dress in suitable colours (dark greens, oranges, browns) but for me this is the lead-up to winter -my favourite month- and I begin to think of hats and mittens and Christmas songs. I love winter so much. Besides, in the UK (especially my home-city but perhaps not so much the capital that I live in now) autumn is as fleeting as the leaves that fall; we have the colours for only a couple of weeks before it becomes dark and bitterly cold.
I would love to be entered in the draw for the beautiful postcards as long as it is open internationally.
I’ve never really been a fan of fall. Up until this year, it always meant a return to school and an end to summer, which is my favorite season. This was (I hope) my last year of school with two degrees, and not only that but I’m getting married in October, so I think my feelings about it will be changing!
Those postcards are just beautiful!
What a great find! I love that plate – its the epitome of fall! I just love when we dig out old stuff we had forgotten about it, its like finding it all over again. And the postcards are great! They are beautiful!! And I would have loved for it to be cool and fall-like here in South FL, but no such luck. Oh well. I’m definitly reminded by th fall with all the harvest type decorations in the stores and now they have Christmas decorations up so that definitely reminds me! And I love the way music can help provide an atmosphere for fall. Perfect!
(i’m not entering) so tell me Carl.. do you really like Fall? lol I’m envious of the seasonal changes now. I’ve never been a fan of the state I am in now. I am glad Idon’t have to travel in ice and snow but spring and fall…sigh* It’s RIP for me for those seasons.
Beautiful postcards.
Autumn for me means – VACATION!!!!!! I love the fall and traveling in October is a yearly ritual.
I don’t feel like we appreciate Autumn over here in England properly. For the last few years, our weather has been all over the place and presently we are having a late summer, rather than the beginning of autumn. I love the picture at the top of the post. It would be wonderful to be able to take photos like that. I like Underneath the Stars – beautiful song.
I have a print of hers & love it – excellent giveaway! I live in the Deep South where we do not have autumn like other parts of the country do. For me, autumn means football season! My alma mater has its first big game coming up on Saturday, which consoles me somewhat for the fact that it’s been in the nineties all week.
This is my favourite time of year. Autumn seems to suddenly sppear every time, just as I’ve been enjoying the warm summer evenings, the wind picks up and everything feels fresher and changeable. Lovely! I went for a stunning woodland walk last week, foraging for blackberries and acorns (I’m making apple and blackberry loaf tonight!) and was suprised by the sheer amount of leaves that have fallen already. Last night I walked along the river which was already full of orange and gold. Quite the inspiration for the art class that I have just started. Beautiful!
p.s. kate rusby…sigh! what a voice. 🙂
So many great things to comment on here I hope I don’t forget… First, thank you for introducing me to some new music. Second, the cards look great (and I LOVE to send postcards!) Third, the leaf is gorgeous. Fourth, I don’t really have any rituals but I read on another blog (Marie’s, I think? Boston Bibliophile?) of her ritual to have an ice cream cone on the last day of summer so I did that yesterday: Apple Pie Alamode Ice Cream on a Sugarcone from BaskinRobbins – sounded autumny, don’t ya think? Happy Fall to you, Care
Yes! I would love to win those cool cards! Fall is why I put up with Idaho’s long winters. Fall rituals include breaking out the candles and baking. After harvesting apples and zucchini I put them into bread, muffins and cakes and freeze it all to be enjoyed in January and February. The music that ushers in the season is Clannad, Delerium and of course Enya.
Fall is my favorite time of year and I always visit the nearby state parks and botanical gardens to see what’s going on with the flora 🙂 I love the temperature (when it FiNaLlY cools off!), the colors, the seasonal vegetables…I love it all! This time of year, Lorena McKennitt and Morcheeba are my go-to music choices!
Holley
I love that first picture with the trees. How awesome! Autumn is my favorite time of year as well. I just got a new fall jacket and love when the days start getting cooler. Obviously, my husband and I watch a lot of college football during the fall. I tend to read more and do cozy things. It’s a great warm beverage time of year…lots of chai tea and whatnot. This year I am going to try and head over to the historic town of Sleepy Hollow, NY and tour the cemetery. The Washington Irving story always creeped me out when I was little and I am so excited that we live so close to the little town. I tend to take more photos to during the Autumn because of the changing leaves and for some reason I just love the look of bare trees. I’ve read some comments and it’s funny that we often associate Celtic music during the fall…wonder why that is? All Hallows Eve? Hmmm…food for thought…
Ah, Kate Rusby. I love listening to her music. We also have a Mannheim Steamroller Halloween CD we love listening to, particularly “In The Hall of the Mountain King.”
Autumn is my favorite season. The weather is beautiful. I love watching the leaves change and crunch under my feet. I love cooking soups. And eating them. It’s the lull before all the family politics take their toll on the winter holidays. I get to read more. I love getting the house clean, ready for hibernation.
Love the postcards! I keep trying to evoke the feeling of fall with a pumpkin pie scented candle. It’s really hard though when it’s 90 degrees out. I guess I’ll have to crank the AC way down when I do my creepy reading.
I’m still trying to come to grips with the fact that September is almost over. I never got a summer!
But so far this autumn has been nice and fairly dry, so I’m not really complaining 🙂
Carl, You almost make me nostalgic for autumn. The bright fall colors, the crisp feel to the air! But then I remember the cold dark wet or icy days ahead and am content that my autumn/winter will consist of bright sunny days with temperatures dropping into the 70s at night and a need for a light blanket on the bed.
Beautiful postcards! One of my favorite fall traditions is going apple and pumpkin picking.
I think I’ve taunted you with this before Carl! 😉 But I’ve been lucky enough to see Kate Rusby live four times now, and each time she has been superb! :p
those are awesome postcards. i get excited about all the varieties of squash that start popping up in the market, especially the pumpkins. i like to cook seasonal dishes. i also like to drive around and look at the halloween decorations. and going to haunted houses.
I’m not sure which are more beautiful, the postcards (I really need to go get something from her!), the little leaf tray, or the gorgeous photo of the trees.
A fall ritual…..I have so many, this is my favourite time of the year. I love to watch the leaves change colour, I love the melancholy of things passing away, to be reborn again after the winter ahead. I love the smell of the chimney smoke in the air. I love putting on my sweaters and my vests and gloves, and feeling all cosy. I start baking again, chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies, and making heavier dishes like Shephard’s pie, and squash soup. I love the Thanksgiving decorations (ours is 6 weeks before yours!), then the segway into Hallowe’en right after, when there are only dark branches against the sky, and the sound of the leaves rattling in the streets, and the last of the geese flying south. We love to kick leaves, and I love my walks down by the beach and along the river at this time of year. Oh, and haunted houses and scary movies, and as Eva says, lots more hot cocoa to drink! 😀
Love the postcards! What beautiful artwork–and thanks, as always, for hosting such a great giveaway and contest.
As for rituals: my Autumn always involves making a lot of tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I check out a lot of Halloween movies from the library for the kiddos, and we enjoy those together. We also kick off the season by checking out numerous Halloween and fall related titles at the library. And of course, what would fall be, without hot coca? We start imbibing in that fairly regularly come September.
Re: music– I’m always drawn to the more melancholy tunes, but I also have a cd just called Autumn Leaves that lulls me into oblivious with it’s rustling leaves and running spring creek waters.
Hi Carl 😀
My ritual is starting to take long walks in the woods with Oliver, the weather is cooler and has a certain smell I love. It is to hot in summer to walk Oliver so he is already sniffing the air and waiting for the leash and for me to take my camera.
Have a wonderful fall season !
I love to walk in the fall, the air is so crisp. I love the leaf you bought, so cool!
For some reason, the images on the postcards (okay, not the two-headed one) are how I picture Nymeth. I think it’s all the fantasy reviews she posts. Hopefully, she thinks that’s a compliment!
Those postcards are gorgeous! Living in Florida, Autumn just isn’t the same as up north. Not too many falling leaves, hurricanes, oppressive heat…
A couple of days before Halloween we go down to the pumpkin patch and pick out our pumpkins to carve. You can’t go any earlier, or the poor fellow will be rotten before the big day! Still, there is a unique smell to Autumn, even down here. That is when I truly enjoy a long walk with my audio book.
HALLOWEEN. So many wonderful things about Halloween: like potentially sending out these postcards! And my birthday (which is only 5 days later) and halloween parties! And costumes! And and and and and candy! And children trick or treating!
It makes me feel like a little kid all around and I can’t wait for fall to get her in full swing.
Thanks for this fabulous giveaway!!
love it all! your Fall images, the music, the cards! i bought a bat to hang on my front door for the season ;-D
Fall is my favorite season and I simply love both items. I would be so excited to win! I cannot wait til colder weather, changing leaves and of course…Halloween!!! Happy Fall!
The real reason that fall is so great is because I was born during the fall, wouldn’t you say? lol
The trees here are already changing. They have been since August and I think it is so going to be winter before we know it…
Such an evocative post Carl, I like it 🙂 I only wish we also had autumn here… That song Underneath The Stars is pretty nice. Makes me think about a dramatic moments in a TV series 🙂
I agree with Belleza, that postcard of the girl with the wind-blown hair and the tree in the background looks pretty 🙂
I loved this post because I love the changing of the seasons. I especially enjoy Autumn. It’s such a beautiful season full of rich colors and the opportunity to slip from summer into our winter skins. Unfortunately, where I am in Cali, it doesn’t feel like Autumn yet. We are still trapped in horrific summer heat. Let me tell you, after enough weeks of 90 degree weather, you are more than ready for cool breezes and even rain. I’m looking forward to the breaks that await me this autumn and winter where I’ll be able to anchor down in my room, bundled up with a warm beverage and a great book. Doesn’t get any better than that for me.
Those postcards are lovely!
My first seasonal change happened this weekend. I suddenly starting craving hot black tea again. I never want it after a certain point in the Spring, but it’s back to a nice steaming cup of tea in the afternoon weather now.
Great postcards!
My fall rituals include taking decorations that involve seashells I have collected over the years, and replacing them with my pine cone collection. I also have a couple of cheesy suncatchers with fall themes that come out.
Apple cider MUST be bought at the Farmers’ Market.
Musically, I don’t know that there are any specific types of music that put me in the mood for fall. I can never predict what I will listen to from day to day.
Wow! The postcards are something to drool for. They’re just way cute and so RIP-worthy. 😉
We don’t exactly have fall rituals as there are only 2 prominent seasons in tropical countries — wet and dry. Though the curious thing that happens and we do when September rolls by is to play Christmas songs (yup! as early as that..hehe)
Oh, and on Halloween, amid the costume parties, most of us visit the dead at the graveyards and some even spend the night there and party with the rest of the living (and maybe some of the dead? *wink*).
Carl ~ Your post is lovely and appealing, suited to a season of encroaching darkness and gentle loss.
I’ve always thought Dylan Thomas wrong about old age. The autumn world doesn’t rage against the dying of the light, and it gives me comfort to think of coming to the end of my own light the same way ~ being shed by life as easily as a tree sheds its leaves.
Now, that may seem a bit melancholy, but I don’t mean it to be so. I’ve always experienced autumn as a momento mori, a beautiful reminder of the transitory nature of life. It’s hard to experience autumn here on the Gulf Coast in the same way as those living in more northern climes, but your wonderful post has helped to give me a welcome nudge toward my favorite season!
Autumn is definitely my favourite time of year. The colours are so beautiful and I love the taste in the air. Also it’s my birthday in Autumn 🙂 Your giant leaf is lovely and I am just downloading some Dresden Dolls/Amanda Palmer music for the first time which seems to fit quite nicely with Autumn. I keep meaning to decorate our flat seasonally, just maybe I will get around to it this year and go out and collect some bits and pieces.
Yes, autumn is delicious. I am very happy for you, Carl.
I am going to go and pick apples this weekend, and I will think of you!
I have an award for you here .
Heya, Simply wanted to show you that your website isn’t launching correctly on my i phone. Are you aware if there is some setting I have to use to make it display correctly? Everything is out of line.