October 12th, 2017

Apparently my New England/Colorado sensibilities are refusing to accept what a Florida autumn looks like.  I found myself fiddling around with courtyard décor this week.  And yes, we area all well aware of my distinct lack of artistic ability.  It's not perfect, but it'll do.  It's like a nod to true autumn.

I guess it was no longer sufficient to just have apples in the house.  I was actually considering making a jack-0-lantern but between the temperatures, which are not conducive to jack-0-lantern longevity and hungry night critters, I decided to not bother.  This will have to suffice.  

About those night critters of which I spoke by the way.  I'm told that there are raccoons that get into people's trash though I have seen no sign of them.  Our garbage cans remain unsullied.  But I am aware that raccoon's do not have a particularly discriminating palate and for all I know, jack-0-lantern pumpkin is an elegant repast for them.  There are also a few coyotes that roam.  I have nothing against the coyotes.  They are not menacing people and I've heard of no pets that became lunch in the area but people here are freaking out about it anyway.  Poor coyotes. Just trying to live their little coyote life, eating squirrels and bunnies and probably lizards. But I digress.

I am starting to want to make autumn foods, not just the yummy desserts of which I usually speak, but things like baked macaroni and cheese and chili and stews and roasts.  But it's still a little warm out for heavier foods like that.  I am beginning to contemplate a Thanksgiving Day menu and even thinking about Christmas the teensiest bit. Sure signs of autumn.

It is cooling off a little bit and the humidity is much  improved.  But it's not sweater weather yet.  I'm still out prowling the island in shorts and sandals on foot.  And I've been eagerly waiting for cooler, nicer weather to get back out on my bike.   I know that tourists are out on their rental bikes even in the middle of the worst part of summer but as someone who occasionally IS a tourist I feel perfectly qualified to state that tourists are crazy.  I prefer to wait until the humidity and temperatures both ease up to do any serious biking.  Biking is hard work!  It's fun but any physical activity is killer in the July - September window which makes it a lot less fun.

I've started getting Christmas catalogues in the mail and they are stacked neatly in a  pile on one of the end tables in the family room for me to peruse at some future date.  Obviously another sign of autumn.  Local restaurants are suggesting that people make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner, bakeries suggest that you order your pies and the butcher shop wants you to sign up for your turkey early.  The grocery stores have row after row of enormous bags of tiny little candy bars and lollipops for trick-or-treaters. 

And, now that I think of it, most of  these are things happen everywhere this time of year.  So I suppose, other than the palm trees, autumn looks pretty much the same no matter where you roam across these United States.