Studio Friday - Autumn Inspiration

"Autumn inspiration - According to my calendar, today (Sept 22) is the "Autumnal Equinox," and it's my favorite season, so show me what you love about the fall - the colors?... the leaves?...etc." - ME
When I suggested this topic a few weeks ago, I thought this would be an easy one for most, because I love the fall and its many inspirations are so obvious to me, but since then, I've heard from lots of people in my day to day travels who (gasp) "hate the fall," so I will be interested to see what everyone has to say on this topic. (Incidentally, those who told me they hate it usually cite that it's because winter is not far behind, but I refuse to blame the autumn for the winter.)

My love of autumn engages all of the senses...
I love to watch the leaves change from green to shades of yellow and red and rust and brown. I love to watch them tossed about by the wind and collected in piles along the edges of my garden. I love the sound and feel as they crunch beneath my feet. I love to see wagon loads of pumpkins, fat and orange, round and oblong, big and small, at farms and roadside stands. I love to see them adorning the porches and stairways of the homes in my neighborhood. I love to see them carved into jack-o-lanterns, grinning wildly at me as I walk my dog. I love their heft, and their smooth surface and prickly stems, as I choose the ones that will sit on my porch. I love that I am not sweating bullets, as I walk my dog. I love the smell of autumn, sometimes crisp, sometimes loamy, as the leaves begin to mulch. I love to feel the cool air on my face. I love a cozy fall sweater, a hot cup of apple cider. I love to pick apples at an orchard with my husband and maybe stumble upon an antique store or junk shop on our trip down a winding road on a cool fall day. I love our wedding anniversary - October 27 - a wonderful fall day 17 years ago. I love to see pots of mums in yellow and rust and burgandy, lined up in rows at the farm market, waiting to be sold. I love gourds in all their odd shapes and colors. I love my mom's recipe for acorn squash, baked in halves with butter and brown sugar. I love warm soup on a cool autumn day. I love the last burst of warmth and color before the winter comes.

A few weeks ago, when the inspiration hit me, I designed this scrapbook paper to give to the students in my fall faeries class...