Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Memorably Fall

I'd so enjoy hearing from you today, good friends. Think back. What is something memorable that happened to you in the fall? Mine will be in the comments.

(Can you believe....a short post from me!)

69 comments:

  1. I was a freshman in high school. Pizza Hut had just opened in our town. On a fall Friday night, after a football game, a large group of us headed downtown and... tried pizza for the very first time.

    :) Nothing like growing up in small town USA~

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    1. And I forgot to mention- it was the first time eating pizza for most of my friends, too!

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    2. All I can say is, Wow, you ARE old.



      (haha)

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    3. Jamie Jo: Ha!!! This was back in the late 70's, and I can actually tell my kids I remember a time before pizza!

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    4. Dearest Shelly,
      Haha, my late brother forced me to have the pizza (forgot when it was, yes so long time ago) knowing that I don't care the smell of the cheese much and I haven't eaten it since then. Well, it is a bittersweet memories now(*^_^*) Miyako*

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    5. orchid: It took me a while to actually like pizza and now I don't eat it at all anymore!

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  2. Dear Shelly, the most memorable thing that's happened to me this fall has been the visit of Jeanne, my friend from Minnesota. She listened to me bemoan living here in Missouri and missing my Minnesota friends of 38 years.

    She listened and listened and listened some more. And then she began to speak the truth as she saw it. Gently, but straight forwardly, she shared her observations with me: how I was seeing only what didn't work for me instead of concentrating on what did work. (Totally unlike me, she said.)

    How I wasn't inviting my family to my home for meals. (Totally unlike me, she said.)

    How I wasn't getting involved in new ideas and experiences. (Totally unlike me, she said.)

    And then I realized that somehow I'd left my true self back in Minnesota and a sort of pseudo Dee had settled here. A sort of ghost of who I'd once been.

    The summing up? Well, I'm taking myself by the scruff of the neck, giving myself a good shaking to get rid of that dust in my brain, and I've already joined two book clubs and invited my family for a dinner here on November 4 and planned an outing for November.

    All I can say is "Thank you, Universe, for the wonder and the support and the pure joy of friendship." Peace.

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    1. Dee: What a moving comment! Thank you for reminding me of truly those things we have to be grateful for. Your friend is a wise woman indeed. I wish you joy and happiness as you step outside of your comfort zone this lovely time of year~

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    2. Dee, how lucky you are to have such a kind and honest friend. Have fun expanding your world again!

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  3. Hi, Shelly! The one thing I remember most about fall was my dad and I taking walks in the Pennsylvania countryside, seeing the splendor of the changing leaves and breathing the crisp, cool, clean air. I often wonder how many fathers still take walks in the country with their sons rather than letting things like the computer, the TV set and the X-Box do the parenting for them. My dad was in his 40s and 50s when I was a boy but he did what many younger dads were unwilling to do. He gave me his time and his undivided attention. For that I will always be grateful.

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    1. Shady: What a rich, lasting memory! Your dad knew what was valuable. If only more fathers understood that what their kids want is not someone who works themselves to death, but a dad who will give their time and themselves to their kids.

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  4. I love fall, but it holds sad memories for me as my dad passed away in Oct 2004. It is also my moms birthday month, and she is doing well, enjoying life, relatively healthy and always there for all her seven children. It's a special blessing to watch her enjoy her two grandsons. So, yes, there are sad moments, but they're outweighed by the happy ones.

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    1. Linda: I am glad that you have the sweet to counterbalance the sad. And it is always great to hear of someone who gets to enjoy their grandchildren- a rich thing indeed!

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  5. I got married in the fall, years ago, LOL, but October 11; it was a lovely summer day though in Southern California; weather was really nice!

    hope all is going good with you Shelly

    betty

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    1. Betty: Now that is a great thing to celebrate in the fall!

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  6. I do not have one moment that stands out..just a feeling of fall. but I like it!!
    and love your snapshot of small town life!

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    1. Annmarie: Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!

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  7. Something that makes Fall memorable in my life? Where to start? There are so many things, but probably the opening of the school year (in my adulthood, you understand) with all those eager youngsters awaiting my imparting of wisdom. And it was a recurring experience for thirty-one years!

    The brisk fall air, the smell of the leaves as they are raked (and burned, in the good old days).

    The “Sunday drives” with the kids to view turning foliage; and later, the “kids'” bringing their kids home for Thanksgiving, and so on.

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    1. vanilla: What wonderful memories. I think that's why I like fall so much. Not only is it a time of beginnings, but it's also a time of winding down and bundling in. A saavory contradiction-

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  8. My daughter was born in the fall which is one great memory. The fall reminds me of all the trees in our yards ... our yard joined my grandparents'. There was lots of leaf raking with my grandfather. I also think of the wonderful aroma of my grandmother's greens cooking in her pressure cooker and it making that "jiggle jiggle" sound. Also, Halloween was fun for me because it was a time to be most creative with costumes and makeup.

    A good question, Shelly! Thank you!

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    1. Cindy: I enjoyed thinking of each of these things as I read your comment- what beautiful pictures. That pressure cooker sound- I remember that from my grandma's, too~

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  9. Gosh, I hate to say this, but, I always get kind of sad I think. I love warm weather & sunshine. I struggle with trying to enjoy fall, because winter comes so fast behind it. Our highs the next 8 days are expected to be about 42...which is actually warm compared to what is coming.

    I think quite often of the loss of another year.

    Sad, huh?
    Shocking coming from me, isn't it?
    Well, you asked. It was the first thought that came to my head.

    I'll have to take the time to read everyone else's positive comments!!

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    1. Jamie: It's so interesting to read the difference in perspectives. Down here, we welcome it as a respite, even though brief, from the brutal summer heat. It sounds like it's the opposite up there for you all- the beginning of a long winter. I can see why you would feel the way you do. We are still in the 90's (and even in the 100's last week) so I look forward to some true fall weather, hopefully soon.

      I hope you will stay warm and toasty this winter, and that the cold won't settle down into you~

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  10. I never really loved Fall all of my growing up years because I loved the heat and Fall signaled the end of my warm summer days. But then I commuted one Fall semester of college and had to drive everyday through a stunningly beautiful canyon. It might have been the only time in my life that I drove the speed limit because I was happy to take my time and enjoy the views along that road. I think that was the year that I really started to appreciate Fall. Now that I think about it, it may have had something to do with the fact that I also met Matt that August, so I was full-on twitter pated. Everything was probably beautiful to me those days! :)

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    1. Felt Family: What a terrific reason to remember fall! And I would have loved to have driven through that canyon. Someday we are going to get out to the west and see some of those stunning canyon vistas~

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  11. Fall? On Halloween I became legendary (for hours) after eluding a deputy sheriff on a mini-bike (smaLL motorcycle) roughly four decades ago. Yes, the deputy was in a car! SmaLL town Texas ...

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    1. esboston: Ha! You little devil, you~ they're probably still looking for you...

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  12. I remember being a little 11 yr old girl praying my grandpa would not die. I am now 44 and still have 3 grandparents still living. My grandpa did die that Oct. day and at that time I could not understand why. I had prayed so hard.
    I was told my grandpa loves geese and he loved nature and especially the geese flying in the fall.
    When fall rolls around and the geese are flying I think of my grandpa. That is my fall experience.

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    1. Christine: That is achingly beautiful. I love that you are 44 and still have three grandparents living. That in itself is an amazing blessing~

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  13. Aw, I love that. My best friend, her brother, and I made piles of leaves and destroyed them. We were 5 years old and our parents were all doing their residencies. They couldn't afford to throw us a birthday party or get us gifts but they gave us that time together and a friendship that's still one of the most important in my life.

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    1. Saumya: What a precious memory, and a testament to what is truly valuable!

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  14. Wow I don't think I can go back far enough to think when I had my first pizza~!

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    1. Sandie: My girls can't believe I lived so long without ever having tried it!

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  15. Yes a short post what a surprise............lol

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  16. Dearest Shell,
    Oh, I had several marvelous oversea trip during the fall with my friend(*^_^*) I used to think to have a day in my blog like "trip memory Sunday". Haha but pictures were not taken by digital camera.
    Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. orchid: How wonderful, my dear friend Miyako! I think the fall is such grand traveling weather- where did you and your friend go? Must have been such fun!

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    2. Yes, Schloss Neuschwanstein and Romantische Straße and England etc, p;) Sightseeing in Europe was fantastic for a Japaese☆☆☆ We tend to put us almost all the picture, so I found that the pictures won't fit for the blog, haha. Silly me, I realized that now(^^;)
      I always was thankful to my husband allowing me to go and he said that he was happy for me to have someone else to take me, hehe.
      Love you always from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

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    3. orchid: What a wonderful trip! And your husband is a sweetheart for helping you with it, too.

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  17. In Colorado, 9000+ feet in the mountains, Autumn is golden. We didn't have the burgundies and saffron that paint the hills here in Pennsylvania--but we had gold. The aspens would shift from their lime green to gold so pure; the oval leaves would rattle in some kind of song, welcoming the smoke infused air of fall, the crisp forests and fireside evenings.

    I remember cider and smoke and watching the coyotes play in the cabbage leaves we left in the far garden....snow was only moments away.

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    1. Chantel: I inhaled as I read this and I think I could catch a faint whiff of those rich aromas and when I blinked I could bring into focus those lush scenes you described. Mmmmm...another adventure to add to my bucket list.

      (Your post today is absolutely incredible...)

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  18. Shelly, you're not alone in your late-pizza-blooming :) We had home-made pizza from a boxed mix, for the first time, when I was about 16. It was quite a few years before I had any other kind!

    My most vivid fall memories are of my children: my daughter was born in the fall, and I remember taking my very pregnant self outside with our two year old son to rake leaves because the doctor said that being active might hurry along the onset of labour. It was a beautiful, chilly day and the leaves were gorgeous yellow, red, and orange. Only a day or two later, our daughter did indeed arrive. I also remember a fall day about six years later, a warmer day, when our son and daughter and I were raking up the leaves. It was the kind of day that you like to linger at the job, simply because of the beauty of the outdoors and the smells in the air. I have pictures of that day; the kids both looked so happy, and looking at the pictures takes me back instantly.

    Thank you for asking for our input! It's so interesting to read everyone's answers.

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    1. jenny_o: I have days like the one you beautifully described with your children, and every now and then I'll take one out of my memory bank and savor it like a well cooked meal to a hungry soul. I love the story of your daughter being born in the fall and what a role those leaves play in it.

      I am also glad I'm not the only one who came so late to pizza!

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  19. I'm from Southern California. All of our seasons blend together. I can't recall anything. How pathetic!

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    1. Missed Periods: Ah, yes, I can so identify- some years celebrating New Year's in shorts.

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  20. Lovely reading your 'short post'and all these wonderful comments!

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  21. The smoky scent of autumn. I can't get enough of it. Sometimes when we're trick-or-treating, I'm inhaling so much I get dizzy. The air smell so good!

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    1. Lydia: That has to be one of the premier hallmarks of autumn. There's just something spectacular about the pairing of that scent with a crisp evening.

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  22. I remember going walking with a boyfriend in the fall. I can remember the light, how golden it was, and we stopped under a stand of trees, and he looked at me and said, "I can't believe how beautiful you are right now. You should see yourself..."

    I can still remember that, all these years later...

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl: How very lovely~ like a treasure inside a vault, taken out and enjoyed all over again. I can see why you remember it~

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  23. OH, thanks for asking! Our first grandchild was born in the fall, and she's delightful!I love her birthstone, a gorgeous amber color.

    Thanks for confessing your too-saving ways on my blog today! Just like Jesus, saving every day...

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    1. Jeanette: That is a reason to celebrate fall! My birthday is in Nov., too, and I love the topaz. And, I am not going to feel bad anymore about being a saver- I'll always remember what you said!

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  24. I got to sit and examine candy with my grand kids.

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    1. Munir: What a lovely time with the kids! You are building memories with them that they will pass on one day to their grandkids~

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  25. new reader here...

    when i think fall, i think the birth of my son.

    That will ALWAYS be Fall to me....

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    1. Slyde: That's the best kind of thing, too. My oldest was born in the fall, and that's indelibly part of my autumn memories now. Thanks for stopping by. I'm headed over to yours~

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  26. LOL,It is nice to have a short post every now and then :p
    xoxo Have a wonderful fall :D

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  27. Hi Shelly,
    Fall has become the time of year when my mom visits on her own. I love that she takes these trips to see us, driving over 700 miles, through mountains and long, flat plains. It's truly my favorite time of year for this reason.
    I also hold in my heart the fall memories when I was in HS marching band, practicing at night on the football field with the lights shining above us, feeling an electrifying charge of excitement. The energy of the music made me fly inside. Then there was Mark, a great big guy with long curly black hair and deep brown eyes. He used to insult me by making comments about my status as a freshman. I alternately was extremely offended and embarrased by his comments and thrilled by his attention. He played the trombone in band but the electric guitar for his garage band.

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    1. Jenny: How special it is that your mom makes that brave trip alone to see you, and I also suspect if you ask her, it is a pleasure for her to make!

      There's just something about hearing those first booming drums and horns on a football field that says autumn to me like nothing else. I loved your memories of it~ and that cool guy Mark with the long, curly hair and deep brown eyes? It sounds like he had a little crush on you!

      Terrific memories, Jenny- I hope this fall will be the best one on record for you all- out of the way of Hurricane Sandy, I hope!

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    2. Thanks Shelly, we are safe and will only have wind and rain. At this very minute my mom is driving right through a mix of snow and rain from the north which is meeting that line of wind and rain from the hurricane! She is so brave, and we are praying for safe passage.
      P.S. I fell totally in love with Mark. He loved me too for a little while, and broke my heart later. He died unexpectedly several years ago, leaving behind a beautiful wife and children. Those years in band are my favorite memories of life as a teen.

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    3. Jenny: Your mom is in my prayers as are you all! I so hope the storm is much weaker than they predict...

      How poignant about Mark- breaking your heart and later passing away so young. And I wasn't in band myself, but I've had so many friends who cherish their band memories above all others from high school. I'm so glad you had that experience, my friend!

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  28. YaY, a post from you! I guess I'd choose Hurricane Gloria in 1986. We lost power for over a week. Now we'll see if this new one is memorable.

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    1. Theresa: We are right in Hurricane Alley down here, and I know well how memorable and devastating they can be. I hope you all are safe up there!

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  29. I got married on November 20, 1999! :) (Shelly, I have missed your blog! Forgive my long absence. I love being in your warm, happy place in the blogosphere.)

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    1. Kelley: Now that's a terrific memory to have of fall! (And you'll be having an anniversary soon~) It's so good to have you back!

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  30. No particular memory, but I love that feeling when the air is cool and crisp, but not cold, and the sky is really blue. The air smells fresh, and there might be a hint of rain in the distance. That's a perfect fall day.

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    1. karen: Mmmmm- I know exactly the kind of day you're talking about. I would count myself rich if every day was one like that~

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