Feeling Autumnal

It is almost mid-September, but the weather here in Denver for the past two days has been downright wintry!  I was chilled to the bone yesterday while working my first shift at Halloween City (more on that in another post) and today is even colder!  We woke to temps in the mid 30's and were told we could expect to wake to some snow this morning....thankfully, it seems to have missed Denver!  For the first time in I don't know how long, I am wearing jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, jacket and boots ~  very fall-like, as I refuse to bring out a warmer coat!!!

 

There is only radiator heat in our apartment, which won't be turned on until mid-October.  It wasn't unbearable, tho, and we have plenty of blankets ("hello, my name is Jennifer and I have a blanket addiction!) plus our electric fireplace should we need to ward off the chill.  The place in Longmont had a gas fireplace, which we would turn on some mornings to just get a bit of warmth to the main level before Chris left for work~ we rarely turned on the heat all winter!  Longmont also had newer windows and better insulation than the Denver place...so it will be an interesting winter, one I am hoping isn't as cold as last year with the Polar Vortex.

 

However, by tomorrow, we will be back in the 70's for the weekend and we can truly enjoy the approach of the autumnal equinox!

 

That said, my beautiful friend, Nikki, asked me to re-post my list of things I love about fall.  I found this post from 2012.  After looking over that list, I am still in agreement with every single one!  To add to it.....

 

~Pinterest posts for recipes & decorations both fall and Halloween-inspired

~Enjoying the Denver fashion scene for fighting the chill

~Sipping coffee on our portico, with a blanket wrapped around me

~Halloween cards

~Wearing all of my lightweight jackets: corduroy, jean, cotton

~Colorful scarves

~Watching my Northern Exposure DVDs (truth be told, I have been watching them off & on for months, tho)

~Catching up on pagan, wiccan readings

~Fun knee and over-the-knee socks, with skirt & stockings & boots

~Fingerless gloves  {I just got a hot pink pair}

~Making pumpkin butter for the first time

 

I hope we have more than a passing glimpse of fall and that I can revel for several weeks (or more...a girl can dream, right?!).  While "true" Coloradans may anticipate winter with baited breath, to hit the snowy slopes for all the wicked activities, I would prefer to defer the cold, white stuff as long as possible and then "suffer" it for the shortest duration.  We are lucky, tho, that the snow doesn't stick around long here, so winter is far, far different from northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. 

 

The equinox is less than two weeks from today and I need to put together a simple meal in celebration (thinking winter squash, beans, bacon, steamed veggies).  This weekend, I am making a small batch of pumpkin butter, a cranberry pork roast in the crockpot (to eat with mashed Yukon gold potatoes) and pumpkin-dark chocolate chip muffins! 

 

I am also hoping we take a drive to Boulder to walk along the Creek and see some of the leaves changing.  A drive along the Peak-to-Peak might reveal even more, but I don't know if we are up for it....there has been snow in the mountains already!!!