Fall has a way of sneaking up on us (even if the weather app insists it's still summer). The air is muggy, the cicadas are still screaming, and yet I'm already mentally crunching through ankle-deep piles of red and gold leaves, sipping hot cider, and debating whether I can justify buying another flannel. There's a kind of nostalgia built into this season, the way the world slows down as the days shorten, a blanket pulled tight, a scary movie flickering in the background, and pumpkins on porches that feel like little orange beacons announcing spooky season's arrival.
This month my book club is reading The Shining, which might be the most fall choice imaginable. I'm ready to curl up with a candle that smells vaguely like pie, crack open the book, and pretend the sweat dripping down my back is actually a chill from the haunted Overlook Hotel. It's 85 degrees today, but in my head, it's brisk October.
Which is why these pumpkin posts are the perfect segue to get you through the last few days of summer. Ignore the heat (or at least try to), lean into the mood, and let yourself believe fall is already here.
