1. Apple picking
2. Pumpkins
3. Leaves changing colors
4. Pumpkin-spice coffee
5. Sweaters
6. Vests
7. Warm socks
8. Cider
9. Hot chocolate (with marshmallows)
10. Crisp days
11. Cool evenings
12. A fire burning in the fireplace
13. Hayrides
14. Acorn squash soup
15. Sitting near a fire wearing a sweater, warm socks and drinking cider.
Okay, I could go on and on but I'll just make myself sad. The one thing I don't like about fall is the one thing we do have here in Xiamen: shorter days. The sun is now setting around 6 p.m.
The good thing? I'll never take another true fall for granted again. And if I ever get to experience another New England fall, I will savor every day with complete awareness.
Another good thing? We don't take small things like a batch of warm chocolate-chip scones for granted anymore (more on that next week). And I won't get suckered into Dairy Queen's seasonal Blizzard which is never a good idea. No matter how good it looks on the picture. Just stick with Oreos and Heath bar. Trust me on this one.
And there's certainly a lot to enjoy about living here in China. Every day feels like an adventure -- as if something new and different could (and likely will) happen. I love living in a city. I love being able to walk to the bakery for bread, to the corner store for ice cream, to a dozen different coffee shops or to a juice bar where $1 will buy you a fresh, squeezed-in-front-of-you cup of juice.
But today I'm missing fall. This afternoon I clicked through some old photographs on iPhoto (funny how times change with technology), feeling nostalgic and kind of sad that there will be no pumpkin patch visit or apple picking for us this year. So I thought I'd share some of the photographs from our first two visits as a family. Because nostalgia is best enjoyed with company.
October 2008 (Dagim is 1-year old):
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| This is what I think of dirt -- even if it's on a cute little pumpkin. |
October 2009 (Dagim is two-years old):
And yes, I'm missing that striped Boden sweater and that Kate Spade wool vest (bought on super-duper clearance). Today's high in Xiamen was 79 (low 66). How do you Southerners do it? I shouldn't really complain about wearing shorts in October. I guess I'm just a New Hampshire girl at heart, ready to put on a sweater and welcome fall.
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Happy birthday to you (on Monday)! Hope you get some sweater or vest weather as a special birthday treat:)
ReplyDeleteWe've had a very mild fall here in PA, and as I was putting away laundry yesterday, I was debating if it was going to be cool enough to finally pack up the shorts and t-shirts to make room for the girls' sweaters and wool tights:) Our leaves only just started changing color this week. Not exactly the same as highs of 79, but similar. Somehow, though, the apples have been amazing this year (although maybe that is just my pregnancy/cravings talking?)
Happy almost Birthday Shasta! I also miss the New England fall season, but I do not miss any of the snow. Yesterday my sister-in-law texted me a photo of her back yard in Lempster and it was covered in snow. I texted her back that I had just driven to the park. I was ready to start my run and it was a mighty 91 degrees here in Calfornia. I must say I'm over the summer highs and can't wait for some cooler days too. Thanks for sharing the pictures. They are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteDo you know how southerners handle the lack of cool, crisp fall air? They hate it. And complain. It's 88 here today! People still wear fall clothes - and just sweat :)
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