Hodgepodge for Fall

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Because the autumnal equinox caught me completely off guard, I was looking for something to help the ol' brain make the paradigm shift.  And it so happened that this week's Hodgepodge questions are about...fall. 

Clicking the picture link will take you to home base, where all the Fall posts will be linked up...

1. Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall?

Probably when we can turn off the AC and open the windows for a bit.  It won't be long before we have to turn on the heat but it is lovely while it lasts.

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

Hm...fall bucket list...maybe doing a week long stay cation to do some serious pre-holiday housecleaning?  Real or proverbial?   Um, probably proverbial...life is busy... 

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

Probably my FAVORITE is apples.  Especially in the fall.  Apple cider, apple pie, stewed apples...and just enjoyed as they come, sweet and crisp.  I am not a huge fan of cooked squash...pumpkin pie being an exception.  Not part of the question...but I am over Pumpkin Spice Everything, lol.  And I'm sure I have eaten something apple the most recently of all the things on that list.

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Elaborate.

The flaming color before winter drab is one of my favorite seasons. It is edged out slightly by spring, to be sure, but a lovely fall day with time to enjoy the color is high up on the 'it don't get better than this' list.   The last couple of years have not been full out color due to weather conditions in these parts; hope springs eternal that this fall will show out. And, you know, God could have just had the leaves fall off the trees, but he designed it so that they change to vibrant colors first.  Amazing. 

  5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwestern Wyoming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

We actually live at the base of what passes for a mountain in these parts; in the right conditions, it is breathtaking, so I don't have to travel far, although a lot of folks do head up into the Smoky Mountains for leaf peeping.  Last year, though, I actually happened to be travelling through Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina at the end of October and I can tell you that the 80 miles of Virginia I traveled were absolutely SPECTACULAR.  Much better than our local area that time.  It was a real treat...and it pained me that I was driving alone and had no one to share it with.  Couldn't even take a photo because...driving...   

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Has the Invasion of the Giant Skeletons hit as hard elsewhere as it has hit in the Rocket City? Two houses on my street have already got a 12-foot skeleton with a couple of 5-foot buddies hanging out in their front yards.  It was a novelty a couple of years ago but now...well, someone's making a bunch of money off of those things...