I have been waiting for this season ever since those first days of summer made their sunny debut. Why? Well, I love that those infernal heat waves have finally stopped. I love that the scenery changes to lovely shades of orange, red, brown, and gold. And let's not forget that most awesome of holidays that comes 'round every Fall: Halloween!
But, as high on the list as those things are, none of them are my Number One reason for joyfully welcoming these increasingly cooler days.
The most important reason for my annual celebration of All Things Autumn-ish is...
...I can finally come out of my summer hibernation! Yes, I have to hibernate all summer, closing all the blinds in the house against that much-touted, air-conditioner-pummeling, real-estate gold that is:
Now, don't get me wrong, Southern Exposure is a veritable cash cow of savings in the winter - I barely have to turn on the furnace during daylight hours, there's so much sun and heat beating in through my windows. But over the warmer months, Southern Exposure forces me to close all the blinds during the day. If I don't, my home becomes a sauna and the a/c bill forces me to go out and find a second job (since wrangling the kids, managing the household finances, keeping house and clothes clean, running all schedules, and performing basic home and car maintenance pays, well, nothing).
So, my mood improves considerably as the days get shorter and the temperatures begin to fall. My office is no longer a dim cave to be avoided. My morning room is the lovely, sun-drenched, and comfortably warm haven I envisioned it would be when we first laid eyes on it. And my wallet gets to stay full of its pennies just a little bit longer.
