[with a z] ...

i have always loved autumn. the start of school. the darker days. anticipation of the holidays. cool breezes. fall clothes. football games on tv. a whole host of reasons.

my problem now is that i live in houston, tx, us, where the climate is of a sub-tropical nature. i love the city itself – its energy – its diversity -but i am not a fan of the humidity and lack of distinguishable seasons. i find it odd that the natives describe a 60 degree evening as being cold. i find it odder still that some of them wear fully lined wool coats and parkas. we even have “watch for ice on roads” signs that stay up all year. i really don’t get that.

but, nonetheless, i find myself once again longing for a real autumn and missing the ones that i experienced when i lived not too much farther north but enough to matter. so, i have decided that i will autumize this place the best i can and try to recapture at least some of the things i love so much about the season.

my plan?

• keep my air-conditioning unit on a slightly lower setting to mimic what i might feel in a cooler climate (at least while i am indoors) and my ceiling fans running to create an air flow

• change my light bulbs to the amber variety instead of the white, natural light; especially the ones that i will use in the late evenings

• look for opportunities to attend and/or engage in all the fall activities i love even if they are not part of my regular schedule.

• use warmer shades of cosmetics

• indulge in the fall clothing i love but focus on layering and fabrics that have the look of tighter weaves but are still breathable.

• change my road-biking and walking schedule to either early morning (lol) or late evening to avoid the heat and light

• participate in halloween, thanksgiving and christmas activities

• put up the family’s spring/summer clothing and equipment and replace it with the fall things

• watch autumn and winter oriented movies

• use my fireplace even if it means the a/c has to be on

hopefully, these things will help a bit. some of them i already do, but i just wanted to remind myself and come up with some new ones so that i can enjoy my most favorite season.

autumn!