Mulling Over Autumn

Autumn is my favorite time of year, but I've had some new insights into this season in the past few weeks.

My phone didn't capture a very good photo
of the eclipse. It looked pretty full each time.

I go for a run early in the morning while it is still dark, and October had barely begun before I started to feel the morning get a little creepy. Only a few leaves had fallen, but I could hear them, their dried carcasses scuttling along the street as the autumn wind blew. I knew it was only fallen leaves blowing, but I understood why Halloween was scheduled in October.
Then last week came the lunar eclipse, which was an awesome thing.
When I headed out the door around 5:15, the eclipse hadn't officially begun. The moon looked bright and round. I chased it for nearly an hour, watching as a bigger and bigger bite was chomped from the circle.
Finally, only a sliver remained, like a sideways Cheshire cat grin.

Before I turned my back on the moon to head indoors the moon had become a faint round glow. It was supposed to look red, but barely stood out against the dark sky.
I wondered what early people thought on one of those mornings when the dry leaves skittered across the ground like so many unseen creatures and suddenly the moon began to disappear. No wonder they would make sacrifices and call out to unknown gods. That stuff is scary.
This week as I ran, accustomed to the darkness and now careful of the leaves on the ground, which had become wet and slippery, I got to see Halloween decorations that my overzealous town inhabitants have draped their houses with. Orange lights are very popular, as are spider webs looking like clouds that landed in people's bushes.
Part of my run in down around a cul de sac. It's one of the more isolated sections of my run, and a street light along there seems to go dark every time I run past. It's like one of those motion detector lights, but it apparently goes out whenever I run near.
So I was concentrating on the dark street when I noticed to my left someone walking in a front yard. The person carried a flashlight and wore a long white gown. I couldn't really see the person's face but got the impression he/she wore a hat.
I wasn't too startled. I frequently see newspaper delivery people walking along the yards. It wasn't until I came back to that same road about half an hour later  and the sun shone bright enough that I saw two "ghosts" flapping in the

wind and I began to wonder if the person I saw out in they yard had been trying to scare me by acting like a ghost too.
But I wasn't scared because ghosts don't carry flashlights, and I didn't even see the pumpkin-headed ghosts waving on their clothesline.
So my autumn is full of new and possibly scary things, but I spent my summer sitting on the couch recovering from a foot injury, so I know that even scarier than running in the dark in the early morning, is doing nothing and growing out of shape.
So here's a photo of the brighter side of life from a walk I took with my friend Sheila. The fallen leaves, wet now, but still coloring the sidewalk like so much confetti.

Dreaming of France -- September

Today is the kind of fall day that definitely makes me long to pack my bags and head for France. I don't care if I go to Paris and wander markets, or take the train down to Provence to prolong the warm days, watching the sun slant from a sharper angle to inspire artists.
Something about this weather makes me long for France.
Is it just me, or do even the flowers cling on longer in France? Here's a picture from Mont St. Michel in late September and the petunias are still in glorious bloom. I love the way they look with these awnings.

I hope everyone else experiences something lovely that reminds them of why they love France.

Thanks for playing along. Please leave a comment and take time to visit each other's blogs too.

Dreaming of France -- Autumn

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
One of my favorite times to visit France is Autumn. The crowds of tourists have mostly returned home, the French are back at work, and visitors like me have the freedom to roam the countryside enjoying the beautiful weather.
One Autumn, Earl and I took a bicycle trip in France traveling from city to city with only the belongings in our panniers.

This is me at a scenic overlook as we rode our bikes through Provence. You can tell this isn't a picture that I've saved online because the color has faded. 

And here I am near Cezanne's atelier, posing with Mont Ste. Victoire in the distance. Yes, curly hair is still crazy in France in the fall, but not as bad as in the humidity of summer. 

I highly recommend a trip to France in the fall if you have your choice of times to visit.

Saturday Snapshot

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend of family member) have taken. Then leave a direct link to your post on West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online

This was such a glorious  morning that I wanted to share it with you. I was torn between photos of the beautiful colored leaves and the show-stopping blue sky with contrails across the sky. 

Here's a mix of both.

Some of the red leaves are truly beautiful. The yellow ones are too but they are harder to capture on my iPhone camera.

Some round bushes have gone an amazing red. I don't know if they do this every year and I just never noticed before, or if this is an especially good year for these bushes.

Also this week I am announcing the winner of a giveaway for Mike Dixon's book Wolf Wood. Thanks to everyone who entered. I entered the names of everyone to a Random Name Selector on my phone then pushed the button and Valentina came up as the winner. So Mike will be sending her a copy of his book.

Dreaming of France -- Autumn Along the Seine

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
I'm still fixated on beautiful fall photos from France. Here's one Grace took in 2011 along the Seine.

Can't wait to see what you are dreaming of.

Dreaming of France -- Fall in France

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
The autumn is really kicking in here. Some of our best trips to France have been in the fall, so the weather makes me long for France.

Look, some empty chairs are waiting there for us in the Jardins des Tuileries.
What are you dreaming of today?

Pumpkin Cornucopia

That's it. Pumpkin products have "jumped the shark."
I mean, there was a time when pumpkin could be bought in just a few forms, the whole pumpkin for jack o lantern carving or the pre-made pie. Sure, you could get pumpkin in a can to make your own pie or pumpkin bread, but then somewhere along the line the products exploded.
I'll admit that a few weeks ago at Trader Joe's I did buy Grace some pumpkin spice coffee along with a box of pumpkin fruit and grain bars. I thought they were both rather exotic.
The next week, Earl and I sampled the pumpkin risotto. That was tasty too.
But when I went to Trader Joe's on Saturday, my senses exploded with pumpkin.

• Pumpkin cream cheese
• Pumpkin macarons
• Pumpkin and cranberry crisps
• Pumpkin Croissants
• Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin body butter (I wonder if you can eat it too?)
• Pita crisps with cranberries and pumpkin seeds
• Pumpkin biscotti
• Pumpkin butter (in a jar like peanut butter)
• Pumpkin chocolate mousse cake

The guy at the check out lane admitted they had about 16 new pumpkin products this week.
Yes, I did buy the pumpkin croissants, but only because Grace is home this weekend on mid-semester break.
I found a blog post where the writer taste tested many pumpkin products from Trader Joe's last year and graphed them according to most pumpkin-y to least pumpkin-y. You can find her blog at Serious Eats. This year, she would have even more products to sample.
I feel strongly that pumpkin has gone too far.
Gotten  too big for its britches, if you will.
It's like the former pep squad member who is suddenly crowned homecoming queen. This can only end in disappointment.
Meanwhile, the pumpkin croissants are rising on the stove and I'll let you know how those taste -- later.

Dreaming of France -- Autumn Skies

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Autumn is my favorite time of year.
I know people say that autumn makes people ready to start something new -- a new school year or a return to the job. For me, I really long for France in Autumn. I've had two terrific vacations in France in the fall. 
So here are a couple of photos of Autumn in France.

This one was taken in Normandy. I know the sky is clearer and bluer in the fall. That's definitely true here with the fading leaves in the foreground.

And here's a square in Aix en Provence with the sun and shadows making pictures on the buildings. 

Shall I meet you at the cafe there and we'll have a glass of wine and enjoy the sunshine?

Saturday Snapshot -- The Autumn Leaves

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
I bet I'm not the only one in the northern hemisphere who decided it's time for an autumn leaves photo. Some of these I took early in the week, before wind and rain swept many away.

This little red-leafed tree stood guard over a pumpkin.

This little yellow-leafed tree nestled in the corner of a church wall, right under the steeple.

It may be hard to tell how brilliant the colors of this tree were.
But other people stopped to take pictures too.
 

Thanks for stopping by.



Pumpkin Bread

Is there anything better on a crisp day than the first slice of pumpkin bread?
The knife tip pierces the bread and a puff of steam rises up, smelling of moist pumpkins, cinnamon and cloves.
I should wait, but the smell convinces me to grab a piece and put just a dab of butter on it. It melts on contact. I can see the golden raisins all plumped up.
And now I know that the only thing better than the smell of that pumpkin break is the way it melts on my tongue.
Yum.

I hope that your Halloween has some yummy treats in store for you.
The recipe I use is from the Southern Living cookbook.

A Glimpse of Fall

I'm sitting on my front porch in my running clothes. I had a nice run this morning and now I'm grading papers. I love to sit with my computer on the front porch to hear the birds singing and watch the leaves flutter in the wind and reflect the sunshine.
But after I had settled, I had to go back inside for my fleece. Then I added some fuzzy socks on my bare feet and warmed up a cup of hot cocoa.
It's 59 degrees and is only supposed to reach 76 degrees today.
I love this perfect weather.