Renew your spirit with cooler weather

It's finally cooled off here in central Florida.* I'm wearing jeans and even bought a couple of cardigans.

I love this weather. Autumn is my favorite, and that's what Florida winters feel like to me. I love the crispness in the air, the sudden warmth of stepping into the sun, the cool breezes.... It's wonderful.

This is, really, all the munchkins (and Bo) know. Puck and Tink did spend a couple of years living with me in Illinois, but they were so young that I don't know how much of the cold weather they really remember. Bo has lived in southern states her entire life, so this is all she knows, too.

But I remember cooler weather form living in Illinois and other places. I remember the excitement of the first snow of the year. And there's magic there, too.

I miss Midwest autumns and (some aspects of) winters. But getting to enjoy what feels like a Midwest autumn until spring is okay by me.

Florida rules.






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*This is relative. I just checked the weather and it's about 81°, but it has been quite a bit cooler lately than it was, and has even been in the forties and fifties.

Renew Your Spirit Sunday with Autumn

According to my calendar, it's fall now. We've passed the magical day of the autumnal equinox, and the days are continuing to shorten as we work our way toward winter.

According to our electric bill, it's still summer. The weather continues to hover around the upper 80s and into the 90s, and it's rather humid.

Autumn is when I miss the Midwest. It gets chilly earlier in the year there than it does here, and I'm always eager to make the switch from the sweltering heat to the coolness of fall.

And the trees aren't as pretty here. There are trees with leaves that change, but because it stays so much warmer here than in the Midwest, not all of the leaves fall. And there are lots of palm trees, too. It's just not the same.

Autumn is my favorite season. There is just something I love about stepping outside to feel that little bit of a chill in the air and needing a jacket in the evenings and seeing the brightly colored leaves all over. There's nothing quite like snuggling into your favorite sweater or hoodie and wrapping your hands around a hot cup of coffee on a cool morning.

I'm not a big fan of pumpkin spice everything, but I can look past it for everything else.

There's still a little bit of time until I'll feel like autumn is really here. Until then, I'll keep looking longingly at my autumn clothes, waiting somewhat patiently until I can start dressing a little cozier.

Does it feel like autumn where you are?

Write yourself warm

All over the United States, people have been watching the weather with interest, waiting for the meteorologists to tell them when temperatures would start easing up the thermometer.  Here in Orlando, for example, there have been record cold temperatures.  Fortunately, writers can use their talents and imagination to stay warm.


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