September

It has been a week of fall loveliness. In my head I know that it is way too early to get completely sucked in by autumn, that September is actually not the beginning of fall in DC (mmm, October), and that I will regret it if I, say, put away my shorts and start pulling out sweaters and long sleeves.

But oh, I want to.

For most of the past two weeks we've had perfect weather--first, the temp is hovering right around 75, and for days the sun has been shining in a brilliant blue sky; second, there have been a couple of nice blustery, rainy days that called for my psychadelic wellies and candles in the fireplace and, of course, afternoon tea.

Isn't it amazing how much we all love fall? In September I always look back to April with disbelief that the coming of spring could have been anywhere near as fantastic as the coming of fall. Even when it's been such a remarkably nice summer, too, broken foot and all. There are just so many things to love about autumn, like:

* watching You've Got Mail, which Dawn and I did, babies on laps, last weekend. Love of this movie is on my list of things that I look for in a friend. We ate oatmeal cookies and talked between bouts of quoting the movie to each other--"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies." Ah, for a bouquet of sharpened pencils.

* football season, which officially started Sunday with a sermon which leaned heavily on Redskins analogies and then a terrible (and probably all-to-common) loss by said Redskins. Erg. The basement remodel seems to be getting bigger every day (Jason spent the weekend putting in new light fixtures and I spent it trying to convince myself that I do not hate the paint color I picked), but we totally got the TV on the wall and the system set up in time for the afternoon game.

* squash, especially that amazing squash-and-sage pasta recipe from last fall. I've been waiting all summer to make it again, and it's finally on the menu for this week! Yay! Also, soup. And roasting things. Mmm... We bought squash and sugar pumpkins at the farmers' market on Saturday, even though there are still tomatoes and raspberries spilling out all over the place.

* running outside again. In spite of the fact that I frequently mention going running on this blog, I am by no means a Runner. It is not in my blood--the only Johnson who likes to run is my sister-in-law Kim. I can't run fast or far, and I hate every step I take. That said, I do go running a lot, and it is infinitely more tolerable when the humidity disappears and the amber colored leaves start rustling on the path by our house.

* looking forward to finding out if our next niece or nephew is a niece or a nephew. I can't believe I haven't linked to Jenny's annoucement yet, but Troy is going to be a big brother in March (which, by the way, is the absolute best time to be born, if I do say so myself). Obviously, we couldn't be more thrilled, seeing as we have sort of a soft spot for those nephews of ours. It simply amazes me how much I adore them.