I get nostalgic this time every year. My heart begins to yearn for the familiar sights, sounds, and smells that seem so far away that I sometimes wonder if I was ever even apart of them.
My senses miss the Utah State Fair. We went every year when living in Utah. I loved hearing the crowds enjoying the rides, eating navajo taco's, and having the smell of cotton candy tickling my nose and tempting the taste-buds. It was the perfect time to catch a concert- so cheap! We loved visiting all of the animal exhibits especially the mother pig with her babies.
Before we had kids, we always borrowed some from the neighborhood or from my school. Now, one of them is no longer here and is so very missed.
I miss walking to the garden and reaping the fruits of my labor. Long, green zucchini and cucumbers, vines full of red-ripe tomatoes, banana squash aplenty, green peppers turning red. My mouth is watering as I write. I can smell the tomato vines and the soil. My mind is miles away from where I sit.
Tailgate parties, football games, energy-filled stadiums, autumn nights full of crisp air, the roar of the crowd. My heart begins to ache.
Pulling out the sweaters, wearing a jacket in the early mornings, opening the windows for some fresh air seem almost foreign to me.
Visiting a pumpkin patch. Admiring their round and abnormal shapes. Anticipating the chosen ones that will come home to roost on our porch along with our scarecrow. Fall colors surrounding our entire existence.
The leaves changing colors, slowly spiraling to the ground. The crunch heard when jumping on them. The sound of the rake as it pulls leaves across the grass. The smell of leaves starting to decompose, reminding you that winter is just around the corner.
The Sunday drives to the canyons to take in the beauty of God's creations. Seeing bright reds, yellows, and oranges. Stopping to walk among the fall colors while picking up acorns and taking pictures. Smells of the pines, the aspen, and wild grasses. Seeing an animal or two. Hearing our beloved Kramer, enjoying himself.
These are the sights, sounds, smells of Fall. Fall, somehow bypasses Arizona, at least where we live, which makes me very sad.
My mother-in-law sent me colored leaves for our first fall in Arizona. I still have them. They are beautiful and have that wonderful leaf smell. We will set them out today, along with our other fall colors, hoping that decorating will somehow take the edge off the yearning.
My heart truly belongs to fall.
