Wow, it’s September people! Hallo Holly! I just realized this fact the moment I woke up this morning and thought about all of the invoices that I need to create. I’m a few days late though, aren’t I? In my head, it’s still August. I think it has a lot to do with the weather here — it’s been in the 80s and sunny ever since we arrived on August 6. That’s pretty record-breaking in this part of the country where I live. But today is very windy and there is a slight “crispness” to the air that I love so much. Do you know this crisp feeling that I’m speaking of? It’s wonderful, isn’t it? Which gets me to thinking about a post that I read this morning over at {this is glamorous}. She pulled some remarkable visuals to show what September means to her. Here are just a few. You’ll need to visit her beautiful blog for more.
These impressions resonated with me so deeply because I love all of these things too… horseback rides, plaids, tea, cozy beds, oil paintings of the countryside found at flea markets, rich colors, reading in my living room curled up on the sofa, and linens. It’s the one reason why I do not miss living in the south. No offense to my southern friends and family, but I have to have Autumn or else I’ll not be the same person. I love September – November, so so SO much. I come alive. And I wasn’t even born during this period and have no real reason to love it so much but I do. It makes me want to pick apples, take long walks in the forest, collect chestnuts, acorns and branches, craft, travel (I’ve always loved to travel most in the Fall, especially to London), and I love that one day that feels chilly enough to wear your favorite cardigan. :) And then it gets sooo cool that you can wear a lush chocolate or buttery soft caramel leather jacket with your favorite scarf. September also means socks. I love stripey knee socks.
What does September mean to you? Please share!
(images: this is glamorous)
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
September means local apples, wearing sweaters, watching the trees turn a new color every day, and noticing how the sun comes at an angle that makes everything seem like its glowing golden from the inside out.
Cindy´s last blog ..What’s Black and White and Worn All Over?
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:44 am
It means the start of spring, of course! At least it does in my neck of the woods. So that means leaves returning to trees, blossoms and other flowers everywhere and me pondering whether I should start a veggie patch.
Simone Walsh´s last blog ..Christmas is coming!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
hmmm. September. When I lived near where you are, Holly, September meant long walks in the Lueneburger Heide or along my beloved Elbe River followed by Kaffee und Kuchen in a Niedersachisches Landgasthaus. Maybe Gruenkohl for dinner with Kartoffel and a Jever Pils.
But I am not there anymore, and September means something very different now. We are fully booked in September, and by the end of the month, I am lighting the wood burning stove in the kitchen for breakfast service, with jazz in the background. Outside, the weather can be foggy first thing in the morning, with the fog burning off by 10, and the vendemmia (grape harvest) is in full swing. Everywhere there are tractors, heavily laden. We love to take our Labrador for walks through the vineyards in September, coming home to apple crisp and tea (our version of Kaffee und Kuchen), with maybe a veal stew cooking on the wood burning stove. I tie together hundreds of peperoncini and make a chain for drying, to use in oil and in dishes all winter long. I cut the monstrous sage and rosemary bushes back and dry those as well.
In the evening sometimes we light the outdoor fire pits and our 400 year old pizza oven and invite friends to join us, making dozens of different types of small pizze, with gorgonzola or pesto or anchovies or porcini (Steinpilze).
This year I am going to be in the studio a lot in September, filling orders for plates and ceramic art pieces. I am so busy from morning to night…but I love what I do.
Piemonte is so extrodinary in September.
diana strinati baur´s last blog ..La Vendemmia Has Begun
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
In Texas, it means that mornings and evening will begin to be pleasant but it’s still hotter than h**l in the daytime! :) Enjoy those jackets and sweaters…we wait til Nov/Dec for that.
La Alicia´s last blog ..i love etsy!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 am
Saying good-bye to summer and hello to September & fall.
http://everyday-glimpses.blogspot.com/
DawnS´s last blog ..Saying Good-bye to Summer…
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
september means new notebooks, pencils, and pens (whether i’m enrolled in school or no). jackets with tall collars. warm apple cider. hooded sweatshirts. scarves with sweaters, and the return of long pajama pants! september means the return of cozy.
erin´s last blog ..first day of school.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 am
September=My birthday, the beginning of a new year, hopes, goals and possibilities. Surprisingly the weather had a crisp feeling on the second day of the month so it will mean grays and burgundys, cardigans and scarfs, coffee in the mornings and tea in the afternoon. The leaves from my trees will dry and fall and then I will know it’s really fall.
Brenda´s last blog ..The Encores…we’re going to make it!
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:03 am
I means birthday cake, my b-day is on the 7th. It also means McIntosh apples, my very favourite!
Nat Nat´s last blog ..In YYJ
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:06 am
Saying good-bye to summer and hello to September & fall…
http://everyday-glimpses.blogspot.com/
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:08 am
September means mittens, gloves, hats, new winter boots, duffel coats, autumn leaves, cold windy days with bright blue skies, always carrying a large red umbrella, fluffy blankets and patchwork quilts on every chair and bed, hot chocolate, comforting soup and crusty bread, gorgeous dark green, plum, burnt orange and aubergine colours, cinnamon, and the build-up to October (my favourite time of year).
Kate´s last blog ..Reasons I should not be allowed to read blogs
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:10 am
September is “la rentrée” as I reconnect after a summer apart with friends I haven’t seen in ages and business kicks up as the fall antique fairs begin with a fast and furious madness. Whenever anyone asks when the best time to visit Europe is – I always answer SEPTEMBER!!!!
The Antiques Diva´s last blog ..Find of The Day – Windsor House Antique Center
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Diana I’ll be over in 5 minutes. :) Your description sounds heavenly.
By the way, I love the Lueneburger Heide – the sheep and the flowers are so amazing, so different, I’ve never seen sheep like that anywhere before! And the flowers, lovely. You just reminded me that I need to get up there soon when the flowers reach their peak….
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:13 am
September is a big month for me. This month we celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and the 1 year anniversary that hurricane Ike destroyed our home. Yep.. we got married 10 days after the destruction. Way to test our relationship!!
ljcadv´s last blog ..{Chalk it up}
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
I love September and autumn, it’s beautiful! My only worry is spending another winter in a flat without central heating (London is crazy like that, I suppose.) x
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:18 am
September is about juxtaposition in LA. It brings images of being able to wear my favorite scarves again, and it means I get to start wearing all my great boots. (Things I probably do to re-create east-coast memories!) But at times September is also one of the hottest months (reaching 100 degrees the past week), and usually brings wildfires. So the city is at times very dry, hot and thick with smoke. Like now. :(
Sept is crimson and burnt orange. It’s warmth. It’s wool. It’s a slow goodbye to pineapple, and the return to beloved carbs.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:20 am
I don’t like autumn, socks and rain. I was born in this time of the year and wanted always to have some big summer birthday party :-)
jja´s last blog ..Kozmetika petkom
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
My birthday is in September, so it has always meant big slices of cake, fun with friends and family, and new sweaters and boots to wear!
Sam´s last blog ..Inspiration…Printed with Betz White
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:28 am
Yeah, autumn seems to have a lot of fans. It’s by far my favorite season (and yes, I was born in October!). And I definitely am much more active in the fall than in summer (which I personally find a rather depressing time of year). I want to snap back into action once September comes. Maybe part of the enthusiasm stems from back-to-school memories. New notebooks, pencil sharpeners, erasers, loose leaf paper. Protracters!
My favorite thing about fall is probably the colors. I adore fall colors. Rusts, browns, dark reds and deep yellows. I love the change in the way the air smells. The air is crisp. Walks in wooded areas are always especially thrilling as the leaves fall from the trees. Sweater weather. Light jacket weather. Pumpkins piled up on the sidewalk in front of gocery stores. Decorative gourds and corn. Sweet potatoes. Fireplaces being put to use again.
Yay, now I’m *really* getting about autumn!!
lisa h.´s last blog ..Free wallpaper for your computer.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
Fall is definitely my favorite season. Besides bringing my birthday it always meant back to school, which was my FAVORITE. Now it means back to football which brings a full house every Saturday and Sunday of my favorite people EVERY WEEKEND. I love being outside in jeans and a hoodie and the changing leaves. Hayrides, bonfires, hot cocoa and cider. I can smell it all already!
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 am
September means homemade soup on chilly nites, scarves, snuggly sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes at starbucks, pumpkins in my house (!), and pumpkin candles. I love pumpkins! And I especially love that one nite when I know fall has come – I can feel it in my bones and smell it in the air. Yay fall!
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:56 am
Oh Holly this post has me excited! I absolutely adore Fall. I cannot stand the beginning is so close! Thanks for getting me excited! You’re enthusiasm is contagious!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
September means my husband is back to teaching, and this year it means I’m getting reading for teaching too – my first graduate class on scientific writing in English! Summers are always about lazing around, but September means the corner has been rounded, the leaves are turning, and brainy challenges are just head!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
September means putting chrysanthemums in the big flowerpots on our front steps. It means that any day now I will look out the window and our neighborhood will be full of gorgeous orange and yellow and red trees. It means college football starts– and we are nuts of that collegiate rush of pep bands and school colors! September means sweaters and layers, and I fully jump on board with that. =) It means looking back on so much of the year that has past, and being thankful for the experiences.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
As much as I’ve liked summer, right now I’m done with it and long for autumn. Scarves, hats, socks, candles, hot tea, lighting my fireplace and reading a book on my couch, my legs wrapped in a blanket… while outside everything turns gold & orange! Mmmm :)
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 am
I did not see summer this year. Luckily, the weather is still warm. Soon the trees will create beautiful reds, oranges and yellows for us to enjoy. Happy September to you!
I would like to have a bookcase filled with dishes like that.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 am
Holly, I love waking up to any direction you might take us~thanks everyone too for these rich Fall descriptions since we’re still experiencing a heat wave up here in the avocado hills of Fallbrook. For me, I’d have to agree with Erin. I can’t resist wandering the aisles for fresh “school” supplies. My boys are in high school now but I’ll always find a reason to refresh my stock. New notebooks, file folders, clips, pens, etc. mean new lists, dreams, plans, etc. Always room for a fresh start in some area of my life! My favorites this year are the lovely mini composition books covered in fun patterns. Surely I can find a reason to use those, yes?
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 am
September brings back childhood memories of the first day of each new school year. I can easily recall the very nervous, fluttery, and expectant feeling in my stomach on those first few early mornings. I remember fondly the thrill of getting to be a new version of myself, with new classes, new classmates, and a new attitude.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 am
OH YES! Fresh school supplies. And I don’t even have kids… I love notebooks and pencils, the smell of them, graph paper, and folders. Yum! I always loved pencils because my initials are on them “HB”. As a kid, I felt so excited about this. Geek, I know.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 am
Glorious images! September for me means… the last blackberries, the persimmons appearing on the trees, yellow grass, fog in the night, light sweaters. The days are still leisurely, but there’s a hint of chillness in the air, and I find myself starting to check on where my cold-weather clothing is.
Obviously I grew up in a fairly rural setting :-)
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
September means enjoying new school supplies. The last cookouts of the year. Cool breezy weather. A new smell in the air. Crisp, colored leaves. Football games and marching bands. Drives in the mountains. Anticipating the holidays. Pumpkins.
I totally love it.
natalyn´s last blog ..on the eve of september.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:19 am
September is also my favourite month but it’s a little bit different here in Portugal… We do have Autumn but it comes later, usually in mid-October. September has a delicious golden light to it, the late afternoons are wonderful, you have to put a cardigan after the sunset but you can catch the best days at the beach still! The sun is gentler and the early mornings are cool and crisp.
Thanks for making me think about September! :)
Concha´s last blog ..Shop update
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Oh, yes – Fall is my favorite season. I WAS born in November, but as you say, that’s not a requirement. In fact, I heard the year I wes born had record heat that month and I am soooo not into heat. For the longest time Fall always meant school, and I felt like sewing something with plaid fabric. When my brothers and I were kids, we’d go for walks along the Mississippi River with our parents and collect colorful sumac branches. Now I think of falling leaves, crunchy underfoot, sleeping with extra blankets while the windows are still open, even the sun going down earlier makes it easier to stay inside and read or do crafts.
cheryl R (clee’)´s last blog ..Another Cosmo Cricket Card
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
Well, back to school in Lower Saxony happened in the beginning of Augst and the kids weren’t all too excited bout that (especially mentioning the temperature/weather/sunshine) but I’m looking forward to Fall as well because then it’ll be so much easier for me to concentrate on working, cuddle with my kitty, books, laptop and tea and produce a brilliant thesis :)
I’m also looking forward to travelling to Harz and going on a huge mushroom hunt (if you’ve never been to Harz, Holly, that’s the place to go to in fall – the beauty is overwhelming! Especially in Hahnenklee/Bad Harzburg)
Lovely Sunflower´s last blog ..The places to surf to…
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I LOVE September! September is such a wonderful month. September is when all the leaves on the trees start changing colours to all these wonderful rich jewel tones of golden yellows, reds and oranges and rustic browns. The air starts to change to a refreshing crisp scent at which every time you inhale you feel completely renewed! September is a month of change! Children and adults go back to school to start a new journey of growth and learning. You get to start wearing all the new fall wear which i love! I love all the boots and sweaters that come out! I love fall wear! I love eating comforting home made soups after being outside. September is a comforting month for me.
ALSO i love September because it is only 3 months away from Christmas! In September i start planning what colours i will be putting on my Christmas tree and how i will decorate it! Isn’t it insane that i am already starting to think about my Christmas tree! :)
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:33 pm
This is one of the most beautiful posts I have seen here. I *love* the colors, the images….thanks so much for sharing. We live in Tennessee, not really the “deep” south but still considered the south…but we have short and lovely autumns. I just wish they lasted longer. I remember some Thanksgivings, though, where we were sitting around in shorts. Not fun!
September (well, for us really, October and November) is a time of forest excursions, hikes, playing outside lots and enjoying the cool air…and later, going within and preparing for the silent winter, days spent inside reading, knitting, lighting candles and sipping warm tea. We homeschool, so it’s not so much “heading back to school” days…but I love the crisp air, the crunch of leaves, the harvesting of persimmons and nuts from our property’s trees, the chatter of crows and the chipmunks outside my bedroom gathering nuts for storage…so sweet!!
September is our anniversary month. So it’s a time of fondly remembering our yesterdays, our relationship and how it has changed over the years. Thanks for helping me to put all this into writing, it was good.
:0)
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Jenn – Yeah I grew up in the “deep” south so no Autumn at all for me back then… :*(
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I always feel like I should be starting something new in September. I guess that came from 20 years of starting school at that time of year. I still want to take a course. There’s nothing like opening a new textbook.
I love the Autumn and even love the changes in the garden (replaced our poor pansies that somehow made it through the whole summer with chrysanthemums and ornamental cabbages last Friday). I love the cozy nights (although I miss early sunrises and late sunsets). I love getting my scarves out and it’s when I like to travel to Europe too (Beaujolais Nouveau time in November!). Fingers crossed that that can happen this year. Didn’t last year.
eileen´s last blog ..August 31, 2009
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Totally gorgeous and oh so inspiring Holly… September is New Years for me. After being a student for so so long it is how I mark the arrival of a new year and a fresh start. With the change in the air and light I feel like settling in and at the same time revived to begin new projects…I love Fall.
leslie´s last blog ..An Interview
September 4th, 2009 at 3:26 am
September makes me …
… want to plump brand new feather cushions on chairs, and change the summer quilts out for an autumn weight duvet cover.
I want to stroll around farmers markets and buy local apples, and cook up batches of jams.
I want to clear my desk, bid farewell to summer and welcome Autumn with open arms.
philippa´s last blog ..My old house and music from home
September 5th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
September is a month of pushing forward and pull back. Quite appropriate for the month of Libras, don’t you think?
September always seems to make me reassess things, both trivial and important. Maybe it signifies the hump before on the fast slide to the new year. It’s a time for me to quickly reflect, go to plan “B”, throw out the old and put on something new. Try to accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself in the beginning of the year.
The end of August & the beginning of September are usually the hottest (and most miserable) 4 weeks of the year here in Los Angeles. So there is a longing to get it over with. Move on to favorite fall clothes and autumn foods, but at the same time savoring every last tomato from the garden.
People say we have no seasons our fair city. But for those of us who have lived here long enough and who can open their senses to world around them, you definitely FEEL the shift toward the end of September. The light had a beautiful new slant, and while it still might be close to 90 some days, a snap in the evening air.
September is a month of flip-flops worn with a scarf!
susie´s last blog ..pint-sized portrait
September 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I’m still a student so September means school and clean notebooks, neat binders, and unfamiliar schedules to memorize. and new teachers, and new chances to submit artwork for the literary magazine (slipping into my ‘09-’10 goals here!)
I love fall weather- chilly enough for a sweater and jeans, but lovely enough to go around and put off doing homework for photography and wandering around. and the tree colors! central park is glorious.
Jennila´s last blog ..sticky gloriousness
September 8th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Just came across this post — thanks so much, Holly! Now that the long weekend is over, it’s hot cups of tea on brisk mornings and curling up under warm plaid blankets . . .
Hope you had a wonderful weekend + that your week is off to a great start,
–r.
xo
{this is glamorous}´s last blog ..{a fond farewell to summer}
September 8th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
September is one of my favorite months. I live in New England where our trees change with the seasons, the weather is usually perfect, and most years we have an indian summer. Just cool enough for a sweater, maybe a blanket, and a hot drink.
Penny Patten´s last blog ..The Donkey Arrived Yesterday