Life’s been busy, as it always is, with one thing and another. I haven’t finished any more of the major craft projects I started last year, although I have made some progress. I’ve made a couple of birthday cakes (my son got a Neapolitan ice cream cake, and my husband got a Minecraft cake complete with creeper), gotten caught up on my mending, made a couple of new dresses for my daughter, and written. Yes — good news on that front, coming soon!

Most recently, I’ve been enjoying the fruits of fall’s harvest. Lots of pumpkin scones with pumpkin butter for breakfast on the weekends. One day, I did pumpkin pancakes instead. We also harvested apples from the tree in our backyard; I think it’s a Winesap, but I’m not positive. Been doing a lot with the apples — made an apple pie and canned up some apple butter yesterday. (This morning, I had leftover pumpkin pancakes with a dollop of apple butter on each. Yum!) I’m planning on another apple pie, probably some apple dumplings, and maybe even some cider if I can figure out how to use the KitchenAid juicer attachment for it.

I love fall — the colors of the trees, the crispness, the smell of roasting pumpkin, hints of woodsmoke in the air in the evenings. I start feeling energized and planning new projects or finishing off old ones. My relationship with fall has gotten more complicated since my dad died, but every year I remember that fall holds the promise of things to come, even as trees and plants die back in preparation for the cold to come.

What’s your favorite part about fall?