I needed a jacket the other night when I came out of work. Fall is coming.
It was amazing. The cool air felt delightful and I had not worn a jacket in months, except for one morning when both Rilian and I were wakeful right after daylight and went out for an early morning walk. It was chilly, but the sun had barely risen, so it made sense that I needed a jacket. That was in May or June.
This week, I have had the air-conditioner turned off in my bedroom at night more often than I have had it on. I need it to be cool to sleep. I have slept with the windows open until November. I love it. And the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting average to below average temperatures for this fall, with peak foliage happening by October 11.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready.
I love the chill in the air at night and the frost on the grass in the morning that predicts the onset of autumn. I love the smells of autumn — especially when I go to pick some apples and inhale that heady combination of leaves, apple trees, and fresh air. Add burning leaves to it, and I am in heaven. I once managed to buy a scent called ‘Burning Autumn Leaves’ that was exactly as advertised. It was strictly a sniffing perfume — if I had worn it out of the house, I am sure that folks would have started sniffing around me, looking for the fire.
Fall is my favorite season. I love sweaters, apple cider (and of course, apple cider doughnuts), and fires. I love all things autumnal. Except pumpkin spice.
It seems that no matter where you go to get a cup of coffee (and trust me, I go to a lot of places to get coffee), someone always asks me — even if I have just ordered my standard dark roast — that someone asks me if I am sure that I do not want to change my order to a “pumpkin spice latte” or a “pumpkin spice caramel apple drizzle cappucino”. I don’t. I love coffee. I love pumpkin. I just don’t like them together.
I assume that I am in the minority in this, by the sheer number of times that I am offered the pumpkin spice option, but seriously? How many pumpkin spice scented/flavored things are there?
Well, I looked. Here are the edible items that come in pumpkin spice flavor:
- Coffee
- Creamer
- Cookies
- Muffins
- Syrup
- SPAM (yes, SPAM)
- M & Ms
- Pop-Tarts
- Milano cookies
- Almonds
- William-Sonoma Pecan Bark
- Hot Chocolate
- Frosted Flakes
- Granola
- Bonne Maman spread
- KIND bars
- Jelly-Belly jelly beans
- Oreos
- Cheerios
That’s a lot of edibles. The list of non-edibles seems to be endless.
And don’t get me wrong — I love pumpkin. I love pumpkin pie, and pumpkin bread, and pumpkin muffins. What I don’t love is pumpkin spice in everything, like Oreos. It’s okay if other folks, do, but please don’t ask me to drink it.
Farmer’s Almanac claims there’s going to be an early fall this year. I’m already practicing “No, thank you” for the inevitable pumpkin spice option question.