Welcome Autumn!

front door message

I'm welcoming Autumn today. It's expected to arrive in my time zone somewhere between 4 and 5 p.m.  

It's advent will be of special interest to me since I usually greet the season with jeans, sweaters, socks, a light-weight coat, and sometimes a snow shovel. 

my fav footwear

This year, of course, I'll be keeping the boots and socks tucked on some high shelf while I continue my "life is better in flip flops" fashion mantra.

Yes, yes, I've read that wearing flip flops all the time is not a good idea (posture, back and foot problems, etc.)
http://www.somasense.co.za/blog/how-flip-flops-affect-muscles-posture-gait) 

But for someone who has been bound up with restrictive, cold weather footwear for decades, my toes are greatly enjoying this new-found freedom and cannot easily let it go. I've learned, to my surprise that flip flops are not just an accessory; they are a way of life! 

I will admit, however, that when I have serious walking to do beyond my home, I usually change out of the blingy footwear into a more serviceable sandal that can support my feet better. (Having my entire foot exposed to crowds of clumsy people and grocery cart wheels makes me shudder.) I still have a long-standing love affair with my 5 pair of Naturalizer pumps (with hose) that I wear most Sundays to church. (may they never wear out!!)

back porch table

Another difference in how I will greet Autumn this year is with more outside dining. In years past, September temperatures could vary from fantastically wonderful to suddenly cold (along with measurable snow). Enjoying dinner out on the deck was not an assumption.

My readers may remember that we brought with us from Colorado a beautiful, huge heavy black metal table and chair set that fit with lots of room to spare on our equally huge deck.  Due to some blindspots in our perspective, we didn't realize until we were unloading the moving truck that the set absolutely would not fit on the back porch of this house in Florida. We sold it to our realtor and bought this smaller round table.  The fit and look are perfect.

pancakes on the porch

Especially now that the back porch has been screened in, this has become a favorite place for breakfast, lunch, and coffee. Dinner? Well, the current angle of the evening equinox is such that the sun pierces through the forest trees, blinding us. This will change in the weeks to come, so when that happens, we'll be having supper out there, too!

Internet photo. Google Images: "cardinal"

The other day I was enjoying my coffee on the back porch when a fellow who looked just like this guy showed up just steps away! I was delighted!! Red Cardinals don't normally take up residence in Colorado but according to my research, they are in Florida year around. Later that same day, Beloved got to see both Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal in our trees.

Of course, in our former home, September was a time when the birds were packing up their bags and heading to warmer climes! 

jigsaw puzzle - TWO pieces were missing from the box!

As I work this line of thought about changes we experience with this season, there is one "elephant-in-the-room" difference between Autumn in Florida and Autumn in Colorado. Hurricanes. That is one dissimilarity that does not please me. 

When we moved here, we knew that kind of weather was a possibility, but in spite of Hurricane Matthew taking out the Jacksonville Pier just this past October, such storms were more of a rarity in northeastern Florida. We did not especially concern ourselves about that. Well. 

The deed is done. We are here. We will do our best, just like everybody else.  

As the storm came closer and we were gathering our survival supplies, we stopped into the Hallmark store to buy two jigsaw puzzles. That proved to be a good idea after Irma took down our electricity (at least during the daylight hours).

our dining room is just inside the front foyer of the house

With the arrival of Autumn, I don't know how much I'll decorate with the traditional cold weather themes, especially when we get to winter. I mean, we sold our snow blower and donated most of our really heavy winter clothes, so why would I feel obligated to decorate with snowmen?  Hmm. I may have to re-think that one. I do have some mighty cute snowmen in my collection...

beaded butterfly table runner from Pier One Imports

We were in Pier One Imports last week when one positive aspect of Hurricane Irma came to light: a reduction of an additional 30% off ALL merchandise (including sale items) in all stores affected by the hurricane! I have had my eyes on the beaded table runners for months but did not want to hand over the full asking price. 

The first one I saw was autumn leaves and it was gorgeous.  I looked through all of them to see if there was another one I might like better. That's when I found this one with the butterflies, a decidedly spring design, of course.

A mental debate ensued and I finally decided that since our house has a tendency to look a little dark during the daylight hours, I preferred the brighter colors of the springtime beaded runner over the one with the autumn leaves.  This is Florida, after all. 

close-up of the beaded butterflies

So with that conclusion, the purchase was made. Now that the jigsaw puzzle has been assembled (minus 2 missing pieces that apparently never left the puzzle factory, grrr!), the dining table is showing off the new table runner.

There is more to Autumn than what I've recorded in this post, food being one.  We will enjoy the traditional edibles of the season. Some things just never change, and that's as it should be.

Autumn door decor with a palm tree in the background

P.S. If you have the time, please visit the blog of my friend Lea who has encouraged me to invest in beaded table runners. She's been buying them for some time, which inspired me to add them to my decor. 
http://www.ciciscorner.com

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