Fall has always been my favorite season, at least here in my home state of Washington. There aren’t many leafy trees on the “ranch”–in my mind, 30 acres isn’t a ranch–but the drive to Northport, around endless curves in the mighty Columbia River, is breathtaking when the leaves are changing. And that road, wherever I live, will always be the road home.
I love fall because:
School starts. As a student, I was always happy when it was time to wear new shoes and crack open a new notebook. I loved everything about it. As a mom, it was exciting for different reasons. 🙂
The weather is perfect. Sunny, but not hot.
Crops are harvested. We live in such an abundant country.
Halloween is approaching. I love the whimsical decorations, and I’m participating in at least one ATC swap with a Halloween theme. I have so many happy memories of trick or treating in Northport–it was safe to visit every single house in town, and some of us did just that. When the treats ran low, people gave out things like slices of apple pie, advertising premiums, whatever they happened to have around the house.
When I was young, there was a rummage sale/chili feed every year, near the end of October, and folks looked forward to it for the other eleven months, lining up outside for the door to open so they could snatch up the stuff their friends and neighbors had donated. I forget the cause they were raising money to support. I bought a pair of cowboy boots for 5 cents once, broken down and a size or two too big, but my mother made me throw them away. (“You’ll ruin your feet!”–the shoe equivalent, evidentally, of “It’s all fun and games until somebody puts out an eye!”)
I’m including some of these elements in the new book. Can’t wait to welcome you to Lonesome Bend, Colorado.
And that’s the news from the ranchita.
