Spring Planning

I think I saw the sun come out about 20 minutes before it went down today. We need the rain, so it's not a bad thing that we had a rainy day, but there was simply something in the cool rain that smelled of fall. I realized that with some trepidation while standing in the kitchen this afternoon.

If you've been paying attention, you know that I'm already preparing for cooler weather. I mean... If you're going to the Arboretum to see "the color," it's usually not to see how green it all is, right? And I will happily admit that I am kind of split-personality about fall. 

On the one hand, I love the cooler weather. I love being able to wear long-sleeved shirts and get out sweaters and jackets that I haven't seen in months. I really enjoy Sunday afternoons hunkered down watching football. And don't even get me started on the food--this is the time of year when grilled chicken and steak give way to rich slowly-roasted cuts of meat with warm aromas filling the house. I bake a lot heavier sweets this time of year, going through cinnamon and nutmeg even more quickly than I go through lemon in the summer. (Oh. Wait. I said I wasn't going to get started on the food. Sorry.) I'm not a fan of Hallowe'en, but I love Thanksgiving and the weeks leading up to Christmas--most of which takes place during what is, technically, fall.

On the other hand, fall leads to winter. After the brilliant colors of the fall leaves, the trees go bare and the world goes to shades of grey until spring. Fresh fruits and vegetables essentially disappear (I know that grocery stores would dispute that claim, but the veggies just aren't the same during the winter months). And winter in Minnesota can be dark for so many hours of the day that I find myself wanting to hibernate. Because that dark grey period is all just one season away, it makes it hard for me to get excited about fall. 

So, what did I do today? I spent this rainy drizzly wet day shopping for tulip bulbs. 

It was incredibly relaxing and stress-relieving. I stood there among the pictures promising red and yellow and purple and white blooms, daydreaming of the time when green shoots will be coming up through the last of the snow. I know that that is a good 4 or 5 months away, but I also know that looking ahead to those tulips is what will make the intervening months worthwhile. Well... that and the food. (Have I mentioned the mulled cider and the fudge and the chili and the apple bars and...?)