It's the Eve of September!

 I have spent every day this week preparing for September!

The house and gazebo are completely decorated and clean and spruced up for the first September Morn of 2024.

As I look back over the years, I have actively celebrated September First as my own personal holiday for at least 50 years! I am 75 now......and I am still as excited about this day as I have ever been!

The den is dressed up for the season!

Back in the 80's I started decorating in August and I remember mt friend, Jean Lancaster, saying that I had faith that fall was coming! It was 100 degrees and I was knee deep in fake fall garlands and plastic pumpkins!

Then there wer \e some years when I waited until September First to even get the decorations down from the attic.

Now all of my fall 'debris' is stored in a building outside and the attic of that building holds seasonal stuff while the bottom floor is where my tubs are kept. As in dozens of tubs! Plus shelves holding fall dinnerware and glasses and ceramic pumpkins and more.

As I have grown older I have started the fall process earlier.

July 6th, 2022, my sister Nita died and I was devastated.

Sometimes I still am.

To comfort myself I decorated for FALL and cried as I did it but somehow it helped.

By August first - it was all done and Jesse took me and Louis Dean to the mountain cabin in New Mexico.

That set the tradition to start earlier - right after the 4th of July.

My goal this year was to be DONE by September First - and I am.

I know I'm a little over the top but I decorate for ME!

If no one ever sees it - I would still decorate.

I hope I always will......

I love fragrance and beauty and warm and cozy are two of my favorite words!

Do you think everyone loves the season they were born in best?

I know Amber loves summer and all that goes with it - and she was born in June.

Ben may prefer summer as well since he was born in August. I need to ask him about that!

Summer and Jesse were both born in the fall - October and November.

I do believe this is their favorite season as well.

Today has been such a blessing as I tidied up the house and set out my clothes for tomorrow.

We will be doing church online in the morning and going to watch the Bell grands play hockey in the afternoon.

I made my fruitcake cookie dough and set out all the things for pumpkin muffins.

I even put parchment paper on the cookie sheets and the cupcake liners in the muffin pans.

I took a good long shower and washed my hair and painted my toes!

The only thing I did NOT do was blow out the gazebo - but it is what it is.

Louis Dean has had a nice long hot bath and is in the den watching a western movie.

I'm about to join him with a tray of meat and cheese and crackers and such for our Saturday night supper.

He's already watched two western movies so I will switch to something we both like.

The gazebo has not been used much this summer but will be more occupied once the weather is cooler.

We have four major 'sitting areas.'

The gazebo.....

and the driveway......

and the kitchen deck....

and now the patio and the deck outside our bedroom door.

This is one of my Happy Places!!

Love all of you who are reading my words and I pray for you.....

thank you for the encouraging and kind comments.

Wishing you all the Autumn Blessings for this season!