Here in Michigan, a change is upon us. It is a change that I have a love/hate relationship with. And it’s called FALL. All of my life I have looked forward to the long days and hot weather of Summer. People have told me I was born in the wrong state, as many Michiganders do not share my love of the heat. I could easily have June, July, and August on a loop for the entire year and be happy. However, I would be lying if I said that Fall didn’t have some endearing qualities. And as I look around me, they have started to arrive.
You know Fall is coming/here when everywhere you look you see pumpkin something or other. Whether it’s an actual pumpkin, a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin décor, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin soups, pumpkin pie, pumpkin flavor coffee creamer…you get the idea. I have always enjoyed the taste of pumpkin. I have also always wondered why we only seem to like it in the Fall? I personally could go for a pumpkin cupcake at anytime of the year. In fact, it might go great with an iced pumpkin latte on a warm Summer day. Why do we have to wait till Fall to enjoy pumpkin? I know…we just do.
One of my favorite things about Fall is being outside, especially taking my fur buddy on his walks. When cooler weather comes, it’s much more enjoyable to be in the woods when compared to the middle of Summer. The bugs seem to disappear, which makes it easier to take in all the peaceful beauty. There’s nothing like a walk in the woods when everything is in full Fall color. If you head North to our amazing U.P., you will see Fall like you never have before. It comes earlier up there, but it is just mesmerizing.
With the arrival of Fall, comes the shorter hours of daylight. I can’t say that I love this, but I have come to realize that maybe we need the shorter day to catch up on the sleep that we don’t get in Summer. We always seem to stay up way too late, way too often. I also try to use my indoor time to catch up on the things that I didn’t do all Summer, like deep cleaning and organizing. And of course there’s Netflix to catch up on while you’re working.
Fall in Michigan would not be complete without at least one trip to a cider mill. We are lucky enough to have several within driving distance of us. Fresh apple cinnamon donuts and a cup of warm cider just feels like Fall. I actually only eat donuts from a cider mill. No other donuts have ever appealed to me. Even if you thought you didn’t want a donut, when you walk anywhere near a cider mill, you will change your mind. The aroma from the donuts, pies, cider, breads…you can’t help yourself. The cider mills know this. Which is why they can charge $75 dollars for a gallon of cider and a dozen donuts and we happily will pay it… because they got us high on donut fumes and no one can resist.
Yes, as much as I am sad that my beloved Summer is coming to a close once again, I will enjoy this time of year again. The flavors, the color, the smell in the air. It would be hard not to enjoy at least something about our Michigan Fall. In fact, it’s time for me to make another cup of hot coffee and enjoy sitting outside on this beautiful, crisp September morning.
Enjoy your day!