#SCENTsational Saturdays- #Autumn in the Air

Autumn is sneaking right upon us. I know a few people who aren't enthused about it, but for me, this is one of the best times of the year. The aromas in the air, the chill infiltrating the heat of summer in the breeze, the quietness across the land that inspires me to be descriptive and poetic in my ramblings. The other morning I had the window up and the only sound I heard was a squirrel sitting on a branch on a tree in the backyard, nibbling on a walnut or something he found worthy of eating now instead of saving and hiding somewhere in the yard, unlike the green walnut I found on the post next to our mailbox where it couldn't have fallen from a tree and conveniently situated itself there. I'll leave it there and see if a squirrel ever comes back for it in the spring. It just seems funny that they'd hide it in plain sight. Silly squirrel!

Earlier this week at the store I got some air freshener that smells like Maple Pumpkin- Lordy! It smells delicious. Normally I go with floral scents or sugar cookie/vanilla & apple and cinnamon. Those are smells that speak to me of the change in season, that hearken back to me the memories of childhood that remind me of home and gathering around the coal stove and eating homemade vegetable soup and chili or oyster soup (milk, butter, salt, pepper and oysters) that my grandma made....

Every morning when my kids get on the bus now, I can smell it in the air...Autumn is coming and it scratches something in my soul that wakes me up. My sense of smell is heightened by the musky odor of the leaves and grass as they die back, taking their greenery with them for a spell. The pungent aroma of brush piles being burned, of bonfires and wood-burning stoves- the earthy tones of decay and hibernation as the earth begins to take her rest from the weary heat of the summer sun. She withdraws into herself while at the same time, drawing us near in the circle of her warmth, beckoning us to retreat indoors.

I inhale deeply the spicy tang, the incense-like crispness that permeates into all things at this time of year, the dying back, the rustic fragrance that takes on a life of its own. Instead of the fresh sweet smell of roses blooming, there is a cloyingly sweet headiness in the air, suffused with the smell of damp earth and cold rains, as the moisture sinks into your bones.

 

I'm reminded of cool Halloween nights, seeing your breath in front of your face as you shivered your way around the neighborhood and the warm smell of neighbors burning wood, the sweet aroma of apples and oranges and chocolates and candies in your bag.

The meaty buttery goodness of turkey baking in the oven for the family's Thanksgiving gathering warms you through, while the zesty smell of basil fills the air while the dressing browns and you give thanks for all you have. One of my favorite things is making a crock-pot full of spiced apple cider, with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and brown sugar. The aromatic beverage not only tastes good, but it perfumes the house with that sweet spiciness.

Welcome Autumn, I'm glad you're back. I dedicate my first cup of chocolatey good cocoa to you!

What are some of your favorite smells during Autumn? Your favorite memories? Please feel free to share! I'd love to hear your favorites!

Have a SCENTsational Saturday!

#ThursdayswithTaryn Good Morning Glory! #busy #writer

My morning glories are starting to bloom now. My husband swears he's going to have to fight them because they're taking over some of his elephant ears. He says they're jerks who are trying to be elephant ears- their leaves are massive and do sort of resemble his plants but they have pretty little flowers. He is right though- in some respects they're trying to choke out the other things around them, so they can thrive.

I originally planted seeds on this one corner of the house because we had an old rot iron trellis that had once been a corner piece of the carport. When we closed in the carport to add an additional room to the house, the corner piece had to go, but I didn't want to toss it, we dug a hole and for a while used it for a rose trellis, but it died back, so I planted morning glories there. I haven't planted new seeds for a couple of years, but each season, late summer, they begin to flourish and they drop seeds aplenty for next year. They are taking over the wild white rose bushes I have on the side of the house.

Of course, they take care of themselves, replenishing their supply and I kind of like that I don't have to think about them much anymore. I just know they're going to be there. I always thought morning glories bloomed early summer to fall, but these tend to take their time and don't begin to bloom in shades ranging from pale pinks to dark purples until late August, early September. It's become a signal for me that school is going to start, that the weather is going to start shifting, that fall is on its way. And it gives me one last touch of summer before it's all gone away.

The Autumnal Equinox isn't until the 22nd of this month, but I already feel the change, see it out my window and it gives me a sense of purpose. The end of summer represents a slow down, but not just that, it drives me toward being more focused in my life, my writing, how I use my time.

This shift in focus might be noticed in the lag in blog posts recently, but I'll try to keep up a few times a week, even if things have gotten quiet on the blog front. If I'm not posting, it could be that I have a LOT going on behind the scenes, especially since I recently finished up the who-knows-how-many-eth read-through edits on Love by Design and there's some things I'm either working on or sorting out, so there might well be news soon about when I'll have a cover, a release date and other goodies to share with you. It's an exciting time, but also one I need to devote to doing the things behind the scenes to move myself and my books along toward self-publication and I hope you'll stick around to see how that works out because I honestly can't wait to share these stories with you.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Tomorrow in the Friday Spotlight is

The Daughter by Christina Wolfer

so be sure to swing by and check out her novel!

#MemoryLane Mondays- Gotta Go Back, Back to School Again...

School starts for my kids this week, which means, I'm singing my "mommy" version of Back to School Again by The Four Tops, ala the beginning of Grease 2-

A lot of parents right now are probably also singing their own versions of some sort of giddy ♫kids-are-going-back-to-school-and-out-of-my-hair-and-off-my-last-nerve♫ medley, as well. I know I can't be the only one and I'm sure there are also some who envy my position because school isn't starting back yet for their children. Here in Kentucky it's not uncommon to start school at the beginning of August, some don't start till the middle of the month and other summer-worn parents have to wait until after Labor Day.

I'm thinking that's where the Phineas and Ferb creators get 104 days of summer vacation. We sure didn't have that many days when I was a kid and right now I'm counting only around 75-76 days on my kids' break, but you know what, if I count the additional days of August until after Labor Day weekend- yeah, there would be 104, almost exactly.

Of course, I'll miss them when the step aboard that big yellow bus and I'll probably miss them for a few more minutes after that, but then I'll be so tickled with the peace and quiet and the entire house to myself, that I'll run around doing my happy dance all over the furniture. In the nude.

But seriously- I wouldn't let a little parental freedom go to my head like that, or not for long anyway.

I have an 8th grader who's dreading the beginning of school because he'd rather stay home and play his DS all the time and I have a 4th grader who's starting a new school and is overjoyed to be heading back so she can see her friends, make new friends in her classes now that they've jumbled them up and get to learn about traveling from classroom to classroom....4th grade is, after all, the beginning of training students how to move between multiple classrooms and answer to several teachers.

I had to stop and think back on it, but yeah, 4th grade was that year for me, too. My homeroom teacher was Mrs. Harlow and I had two other teachers, just like my daughter will this year. For her the learning curve is going to be how to open her combination lock without getting flustered between classes. We didn't have that. We had lockers in our classroom that didn't have to have locks.

What do I remember most about elementary school?

Taking my Cabbage Patch dolls on Fridays so my friend and I could play at recess.
Swinging.
The field trip to the State Capitol and the Governor's Mansion.
The trip to Shakertown (aka Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill) in 5th Grade- got to see them shear sheep and ride the Dixie Belle Riverboat.
The Sidewalk Chalk Art contests (I participated in 4th grade on my own, in 6th I was paired with Ted B. for it because we were two of the best artists in class).
The field trip to Fort Boonesborough.
The 6th grade dance on the last day of school.
The last song? Bon Jovi's Never Say Goodbye.

8th grade is also prominent in my recollection.

Brand new 8th grade wing and shiny new lockers. Nothing like the "smell" of a newly added on building.
Feeling a little more like a grown-up every day.
Still dreading P.E. class.
Listening to Mr. Kays play his guitar in Science class.
Art classes were still out in the old building- but we had access via a long hall instead of having to go outside to it.
Mrs. Smith discussing Cats, the Broadway musical in Reading.
Hoping to not be picked on like I'd been in 7th grade.
Being challenged to "math" races by Jason M. I STILL don't understand his fascination. He always got his math done well before me, but *nenner-nenner*ing me about it baffled me. I didn't know it was a sporting event.
Mr. Fallis falling asleep during study hall and sometimes health class.
Oh, and Mr. Hawkins {sigh}, my homeroom and history teacher. 24 didn't sound that much older than 15 at the time. Yeah, that's just some of the things I remember about 8th grade.
 

Do you have kids of your own now? What do you remember about YOUR days in school? Are there things that still remind you of way back when? Music, Movies, Places, People, Things?

Share with me some of your memories.