Now that our children are grown and have children of their own, my memories come forward and lead me down memory lane. The fun fall days come to mind of raking leaves and hearing them crunch underfoot and now our grandchildren enjoy the same activity.
When our two boys were young, we’d rake leaves and pile them high, then run and jump into them. Did you see the word, we? Yes, I’d run and jump into the high dried leaf piles with them, and do it all over again.
With our children, we’d gather fresh fallen leaves and press between wax paper and then tape on the windows. They’d look just like stain glass windows and so pretty. I would also place the leaves between sheets of paper and color. The many varied shaded patterns made great placemats for Thanksgiving.
We also had neighbors who enjoyed getting together in the evening. We’d all gather at the Olson’s, and have hot chocolate and a bonfire. What a treat! Everyone loved it. We’d roast marshmallows and this is where I learned about smores.
Returning home last weekend after babysitting the young grandchildren, we took a side road. The beautiful oranges, reds, and gold fall colors always made me smile.
All those wonderful memories. This is my favorite time of the year. What is yours?
Author of A FIRST LADY MYSTERY SERIES. Visit me at http://www.barbaraschlichting.com
and at A FIRST LADY BLOGSPOT. https://barbaraschlichting.blogspot.com
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
Those are really lovely memories and yes- I have jumped in the leaf pile and made messes of it. The most recent was with my granddaughter last year but I might just do the raking myself this year and not have the extra tidy up afterwards from both grandkids scattering it again- oh, what a party pooper I am! 😉
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Thanks, Nancy!
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We have enjoyed the wonderful vibrant fall colors in the mountains near us in Wyoming. The higher we go the more vivid the colors it seems. I love every season except winter now. Getting in a cold car after an evening out is the worst part of that season. Obviously, the colors bring you great memories. I also love the smells of autumn.
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Thanks, Neva
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I remember doing the same thing as a child. Thanks for sharing and bringing fun memories back. Doris
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Thanks, Doris!
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Yep, I do find myself recalling those autumn memories this time of year. I’d dive into piles of leaves as well. Right now I’m outlining in my head a Halloween tale about Gettysburg ghosts that I’ll be posting on Writing Wranglers & Warriors..
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Gettysburg evokes a lot of Ideas for this time of year. Thanks, Mike
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I have very similar memories. Growing up in Iowa, we enjoyed an array of colors, including reds (don’t have that shade out here on the plains of Wyoming though, and I miss that the most). I remember my parents raking a lot of leaves, especially when we had the house in town — on the farm, we just let nature take her course. I recall the crunch of drying leaves as I’d walk the woodland around the farm — great memories! Thanks for a colorful, lovely post, Barbara!
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I’ve always loved this time of the year.
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I love fall. I miss fall. Los Angeles has many things, but fall and rainfall not among them.
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I would miss the change of seasons, too. Thanks!
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Love the post, Barbara. It brings back so many memories. We used to rake all the leaves to the curb and my dad would set them on fire, but not before mom had wrapped potatoes in foil. They were so good! We loved raking and jumping in the leaves. Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons, but so is spring. Thank you for sharing.
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I never would have thought of potatoes wrapped in foil and put in the fire. Sounds good!
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My favorite season is summer because during this time, I can sit in my back yard or walk in warm weather and be less likely to run into rain or snow.
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I like fall because that means there are less crowds everywhere as kids return to school. The beach is nice and quiet. I do wish we had more of a “fall” though with beautiful foliage. I love touring New England in the fall!
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It’s gotten to the point we don’t have much in the way of seasons where I live–more like perpetual summer with a couple of freezes in winter if we’re lucky. I always wish for a cold winter, but they’re getting warmer. We don’t have the fall colors either. I’ll be in Salem, Massachusetts, next month. According to long-range forecast, daytime highs will be from 60 down to 47. Ideal weather, because I can wear sweaters. I’ll freeze, of course.
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I love Fall. The crunchy leaves and brisk air. Not to mention the brilliant colors. Love your photos. Cher’ley
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Thanks for sharing. One of the schools in our area had the kids to a leaf project each year. The kids would collect leaves and place them in a folder with the name of the tree they came from. We were in the city but had lots of trees so each years innocent faces would knock on my door and ask to collect leaves. I always enjoyed walking them through the yard and helping them add to their collection.
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