"Autumn is the eternal corrective..........

     ..............It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance.  What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?  ~  Hal Borland

     What is autumn to you? The changing weather, comfort food, getting to wear different clothes, turning leaves...........where I live we rejoice with the first temperature drop after a long very hot summer, but that doesn't last, at least not consistantly.  I can hardly wait to put on cooler weather clothes. I like them the best of any season's wear. I love the beginning of a new growing season and hoping we don't  get a killing frost. One of my favorite things about fall are the festivals, open houses, craft sales, etc. I have gone to several already. A tour of gardens in Mount Dora, an open house last week at a wonderful plant nursery and garden shop called Apenberry's. It started at 6:00 and got dark very quickly so I have no pictures. I can show a picture of what came home with me.......

This is a wonderful smelling lemon cedar.  It is soft and not prickly like evergreens.  I have never had one of these before and hope I can keep it healthy.  You will be seeing it among my christmas things later.
     Friday night the weather people said it would be in the forties and would stay unseasonably cool all day on Saturday. This sounded like great weather to go to Oviedo's annual Great Day in the Country. Well, it did get very chilly and I got up and dressed in those cool weather clothes I was anxious to wear.  I even put on my Goodwill cape that I mentioned in an earlier post. As I left the house it was cold and I felt good all bundled up!  

Our little group met and headed for a great cool day in the country.  That short one is me and to the right is my daughter, Carrie.  On the left is Fran Peeper and her daughter, Jennifer.  We had not gone all the way down the first isle at the show when we had to start shedding outerwear!! The weather people really missed it that time.

I didn't take many pictures because I know booth owners often don't appreciate picture taking. The Ragtag Rubies (former Cupcakes and Keepsakes) ladies are friends of mine so I did take some pictures at their cute booth.

These are this year's special Oviedo tree ornaments featuring Pappy's U-pick Strawberry Patch.  I love to go pick strawberries at Pappy's.  So, you may see me there along about February picking those juicy strawberries.

I had to get one of these.  I forgot to take a close-up before I took mine apart to make it work on a jar so I can keep it in my kitchen year round.  I don't have a tall jar to fit yet so this is on a very squatty jar.

It came with this red checked bow and the label which says: "Oviedo, Florida is home to roosters, peacocks and people who would never dream of leaving its steeple lined streets and u-pick patches.  Happy harvesting from Ragtag Rubies.  All a very nice keepsake.  Oviedo is just down the road a few miles from where I live.  

Here is a glimpse of one of the owners and her mother, both hard at work.

The other owner who is a great artist.  One of the high lights of this day was stopping by the "taco-in-a-bag" and funnel cake booths.

Yes, autumn holds many pleasures.  "On such a day each road is planned to lead to some enchanted land; Each turning meets expectancy.  The signs I read on every hand.  I know by autumn's wizardry on such a day the world can be only a great glad dream for me--Only a great glad dream for me!"  ~  Eleanor Myers Jewett

The hazy, cloudless skies of Indian Summer.  Leaves scurrying down the street before the wind.......

As I am sitting by my fire I am wondering what will be our next fall excursion................could it be a trip to the corn maze??????????

Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away.  I think I had better quit dreaming and start getting myself organized for the big meal.  I might need to dust off the fall decorations that I put out starting about the middle of August!  I will have the pleasure of entertaining guests from England for Thanksgiving.