Monday, September 24, 2012

It's an Autumn thing - y'all ready?

The first official day of the season has come and gone - it's AUTUMN!
Colors are quickly shifting from bright vivid jewel tones to rich, mysterious fall colors and I'm already starting to see a shift in the colors of the treeline on the back of my property.

This weekend I was going to make a quick dash to the post office only to be caught, with no option but to wait, as the 50 year celebratory parade marched its way down Main Street Emporia, VA for the Peanut Festival. At first, I'll admit it, I was frustrated and saying things like,
I don't have time for this.
Wish I had my laptop or a book.
Great. How long will this take?
But once I pulled up as close as I could so that as soon as the parade was over I could make the turn to get the packages mailed, I found myself drawn right in to the festivities. A long stream of antique tractors sputtered and putt-putted by. I wish I'd counted them. John Deere green easily outnumbered the other types. Some were solo and others towed along trailers with floats representing various groups from the community.

Candy was tossed from the floats as they made their way down the parade route. Young kids had Piggly-Wiggly plastic sacks that looked to be filling up quite nicely, but what I found the most amusing was the senior citizens that were darting out to get candy. One gal in a Tweety bird shirt was with two other seniors who clearly wanted to act like they were too old for the fun, but they snapped up that candy Miss Tweety risked life and limb for in a hurry, and I swear Miss Tweety scooted one kid out of the way! - twice!, to scoop up tootsie rolls, chocolates and other sweet treats, along with what looked like some coupons from where I sat.

High School bands marched through with baton twirlers, flags swooping and great sounds that had folks tapping their feet and getting in the groove.

The parade lasted a good solid 45 minutes and ended with the emergency vehicles making the most noise of the afternoon. I had no idea there were that many firetrucks and emergency vehicles in the county! I'm feeling pretty safe right now.

As I left I had a huge smile on my face. Not just from the parade and the memories it brought back to me, but from the feeling I got as I watched families scurry hand-in-hand through the crowds away from the parade route - all wearing big smiles.

Now I'm in the mood to pick out a pumpkin and get to carving to make the season feel official. So, tell me...are you going to:
  1. Choose a real or fake pumpkin?
  2. Giant, big, small or a tiny gourd-sized one?
  3. Carve or Paint your pumpkin?
  4. Create a spooky scary scene or a funny one?
The weather here has been nice enough to sleep with the windows open and I love it when it's "sweater weather" which puts me right into the mood to be outside under the stars. Hope it's been that pretty where you live.

Happy Autumn, y'all!
Nancy

PS--Sweet Tea and Secrets releases tomorrow - new cover - new scenes and lots of southern fun.
I hope you'll help me celebrate the release by passing the word around. Hugs and happy reading~

2 comments:

  1. Hi Nancy! Fall is just filled with those wonderful events that bring on the smiles. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the parade. Sounds like it was lots of fun and I can just see those little ladies scrambling with the kiddies for treats. As for pumpkins, I have lots of fake pumpkins that I set out all over, most of whom take tea lights so they can be suitably spooky. I love setting up a pumpkin and ghost display in the front window. Sadly, my black cat is no longer with us to add a live element, but Serena, our calico will look dainty and color-coordinated! As long as she doesn't shove 'em out of her sunning spot. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I almost wish I could have been stuck in the traffic along with you, Nancy, just to see those seniors trying to snap up the candy. Actually, I can picture it just fine, thanks to your terrific description!

    Honestly, I hadn't thought much about what to do as far as autumn-izing around my house this year. I better get on it!

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