Mum's The Word

Everybody knows how much I absolutely adore autumn. This time of year stirs in me a feeling of contentment and well-being the likes of which the other three seasons put together just can't compete with. I am not sure exactly what it is, really. Perhaps it's the chilly weather. Or the smell of burning leaves. Pumpkin pie and apple cider. Carving jack-o-lanterns. Memories of trick-or-treating with my parents and then handing out candy to all the "spooks" in our neighborhoood. Sweatshirts. Hayrides. Toasting marshmallows over a roaring bonfire. Friday night football games. Gold and orange trees. Maybe it's all of that. Whatever the reason, I LOVE FALL. I live for fall. I'd hibernate through winter, spring and summer, if I could be guaranteed a good fall.

You get the picture.

As I have gotten older, I have added Mums to my list of "Things I Really Like About Fall." The beautiful, vivid colors just make me smile. For the last couple of years, we have gotten our mums from the Flower Market on Franklin Road. They always seem to have the best ones, and this year was no exception. We stopped by after church today to pick out our favorites, and Jack - as you might guess - loved looking at all the pretty flowers and pumpkins.

I am ashamed to say that *gasp* I did not have my camera...I know, I know. What was I thinking? How irresponsible of me! So we bought our mums, vowing to return later in the day for a photo op. Oh, and Jack scored a free mini-pumpkin just for being so stinkin' cute.

Once we got home, Phillip and Jack delivered our new mums to the front porch, via Stweart the Wagon. (Yes, although he no longer needs the support, Jack still chooses to push Stewart any chance he gets.)

So later in the day, after everyone had a good nap - we went back to the Flower Market, camera at the ready. And I am so glad we did!

Jack had a ball discovering this new world. Touching the flowers, inspecting the pumpkins. Meeting everyone - customers and employees. And running all over the place. He's getting so fast, we can hardly keep up!

So, without any further blah, blah, blah from me, here are some of our favorites from this glorious fall day. Welcome, Harvest!