Late Autumn: A Glorious Autumn Finale by Photographer Robert Blair

Autumn is a very special time for photographers.  I found this photo somewhere on my wanderings a few years back and I saved it.  An image search led me to the incredible photography of Robert Blair.  His gallery contains dozens of beautiful photographs, most of them with nature themes, most of them very seasonal.

But the glorious photo below is the first that drew me to Robert Blair; a photo he took in mid-November 2013 and called "Autumn Finale 2.0"  Perfect for this time of the year:  Snow on the ground, but still some leaves on the trees.

From Rob Blair at Robert Blair Photography:

Found HERE

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November Comes and November Goes...

"November comes and November goes with the last red berries and the first white snows."

................................................................................................   Ode To November...

"November comes and November goes with the last red berries and the first white snows."---I love this poem..November is such a transitional month.

I found this photo at the Facebook page "If the World Had a Front Porch" a couple of years ago and saved it. But the original photo accredited this poem about November to a woman named Clyde Watson... It seems the real author was poet Elizabeth Coatsworth, born in 1893, who lived most of her life in New England and died in 1986.

And please visit "If the World Had a Front Porch"!  A beautiful collection of photos!  

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Autumn Begins Friday afternoon, September 22nd!

Happy Autumn!
Friday, September 22, 2017

Art mosaic glass by Singapore artist Anjali Venkat

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Autumn greets us (or we greet Autumn) tomorrow, September 22, 2017, at 3:02 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Autumn is Coming! 2016 Edition

32 More Days Until Autumn!

Fall starts September 22, 2016.  Looking west along the Chicago River in Chicago's North Park neighborhood.

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Autumn is really not that far away...  32 more days! Autumn greets us (or we greet Autumn) on September 22 at 9:21 a.m. Central Daylight Time, this year, 2016.  That's 10:21 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 7:21 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and 14:21 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time).  

After a long stretch of humid, 85+ degree days here in August, Autumn (or Fall), with beautiful bright days and cool nights, is very welcome!    

Just in case you can't quite remember the science of the Autumnal Equinox, which is the time when the sun appears to cross the equator and the days and night are of equal length, here's a primer from Wikipedia:

The September equinox (or Southward equinox) is the moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward. Due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year, the September equinox can occur at any time from the 21st to the 24th day of September. 

At the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. Before the Southward equinox, the sun rises and sets more and more to the north, and afterwards, it rises and sets more and more to the south. In the Northern Hemisphere the September equinox is known as the autumnal equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere it is known as the vernal or spring equinox.

And just in case you forgot that the tilt of the Earth is responsible for the seasons, here's a good link that explains that whole thing.

So.. what do we have to look forward to this Autumn?

September

To me, September has always meant the start of school even though most kids start school before Labor Day in the US now.  I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart.  Tomatoes and zinnias are bountiful in early September, and it's time to get the last barbecue of summer fired up.  In our family, we celebrate many September birthdays.

Labor Day is late this year, 2016, on Monday, September 5th!  By the end of the month, the nights are cooler, and the leaves are starting to change colors.  Chrysanthemums and asters (Michaelmas daisies) are in bloom, and we celebrate a few more family birthdays.  Farmer's Markets are overflowing.  And another football season begins.

October

October is full of beauty, golden and red colors, gourds, squashes, especially pumpkins, haystacks and hayrides, and the last apples straight from the orchards.  In our family, another birthday or two.. and, this year, a big wedding!

Then we move on to witches, ghosts, goblins and Halloween.. and the end of Daylight Savings Time as we plunge into those longer, dark nights.  Halloween is on a Monday this year.. Not a great day for Halloween, but that's just the way it is.  Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning, November 6th, 2016.  "Fall behind" and enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

November

November brings Thanksgiving in the United States (November 24 this year, 2016) and the start of the Christmas holiday season.  As a kid, November always seemed just cold and grey, but now that I'm older, I really appreciate the peaceful quality of November.  The gardening is done; the craziness of the Christmas season hasn't yet started, and those empty branches against the deep blue of an early sunset are always stunning.  Then we usually have a few magical sparkling snowflakes sometime in November.

Apple Cobbler, Soups, Stews, and Meatloaf

I absolutely refuse to turn on the oven when the air conditioning is running, so Autumn means a return to baking, casseroles, breads, soups and stews.  I always promise myself that I will try more new recipes than I actually do, but I'm definitely going to make that wonderful apple cobbler with home-whipped whipped cream that I made almost every year when my son was little.. if I can find the recipe.  And there will definitely be meatloaves and lasagna.  Definitely! 

The Countdown Starts!

So let's start counting down those days until Autumn....  32 days until Autumn today.  (It's Sunday, August 21st, 2016.)  Every week will be a little cooler, a little more pleasant than the hot weeks we've had recently.  It will be nice not to have to water as often.  And we've all started to notice how early sunset comes these days.  I'll miss the long evenings, but it will be great to have lower air conditioning bills starting in mid-September.

Autumn Dining: Time to Bring out the Leaf Placemats and Dinnerware! (Updated for 2015)

Leaf dinnerware and table linens in blazing fall colors (or subtle fall colors) make autumn dining a special experience.  (Updated for Autumn 2015)

A couple of weeks ago one of my friends served lunch on a beautiful combination of leaf plates with lovely leaf placemats. I never thought that a simple salad of raspberries and peaches could be so appealing:

She just acquired this beautiful pumpkin bowl, which could be used as a sugar bowl, a soup bowl, or just a cute seasonal candy or nut dish:

Let's start at the bottom of settings for those autumn meals with placemats appropriate for the season:

It's time for orange:

Here's an orange oak leaf placemat by C and F Enterprises available from Houzz:

These 15" by 22" placemats are 100% cotton. Houzz carries the same placemat in rusty red, sage, terra cotta, and yellow for $9.95.  I spotted the same placemat for $7.95 (but only in gold) at the Country Porch.

Bright Fabric Placemats:  

I found these quilted leaf placemats on Ebay a few years back, but I can't find the same this year.  I'm including them just for reference as the style looks very much like the leaf placemats that my friend was using for our luncheon that I photographed at the top:

Make some yourself!

If you are crafty, you may want to try leaf-shaped placemats or coasters yourself.  Quilter Patricia's instructions at can be found HERE at her blog My Patchwork Quilt.  Her placemats turned out great (see below) and she has also made coasters.  (And she has great recipes at her blog as well!)  

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Faux suede with satin on the reverse side:

Here's a collection of bright maple leaves in soft faux suede originally found at Collections, Inc.  Unfortunately, Collections Inc.  writes: "Sold Out. We are unable to guarantee this item will be available in the future. Item #24755".   But, as of September 23, 2015, there is a set available HERE at eBay for $35.99 plus shipping.  The collection is (still) gorgeous, and sold in a set of 4 bright fall colors:  Red, orange, green, and tan.  They have a satin back, are polyester, and 19" by 20".  Unfortunately, there is only one set for sale, and it will probably go fast. 

Satin Leaves:

These satin leaf placemats are very similar to the placemats above; a set of 12 in two colors was on sale last year at eBay HERE.   These were branded by "Better Homes" and the set of 12 included 5 rust and 7 green.  They seemed like a great deal, but they are gone.  They are beautiful, perhaps if you are lucky you will find them at a yard sale.... or someone will put them up for sale on eBay at some time in the future.

Keep them clean and use them all autumn long!  

Keep your special holiday cloth placemats clean so that you can use them several times over the autumn months before washing them: Buy a set of clear vinyl placemats to place over the fabric placemats. You'll be able to keep those gorgeous fall placemats on your table until the last leaf is off of the trees around Thanksgiving time.  Or until it is time for Christmas placemats.