Hi Neighbor!

My favorite season is in jeopardy! (So is my sanity—hello virtual school!—but that’s a story for another newsletter.) Yes, leaves will still fall, apples will still ripen and crisp air will still linger, but will it be enough? Will it still feel like fall without all the traditions, gatherings and festivals that typically punctuate the season? And dare I even mention Halloween? My kids keep asking me whether trick-or-treating will be cancelled, and I don’t even know what to tell them. (Suggestions welcome.)

In many ways fall always feels more like the start of a new year to me than January 1, but it’s hard to imagine anything feeling new and fresh these days. Will inhaling that rich, smoke-tinged autumn air fill me with wonder—or sadness? The answer—as with most things COVID-related—is anyone’s guess.

To cheer myself up and avoid drowning my sorrow in 500 pumpkin spice lattes, I made a list of pandemic-proof fall activities. Most are simple, many are free and some just involve sugar—lots and lots of sugar (#sorrynotsorry).

• Go apple picking (this West Chester orchard and this one in Kennett Square are good bets)
• Carve a pumpkin 
• Take a fall foliage hike or bike ride
• Listen to the sound of leaves crunching underfoot
• Make a scarecrow
• Bake pumpkin bread
• Savor a pumpkin spice latte
• Make a batch of chili 
• Eat cider donuts (these are #dabomb!)
• Roast s’mores
• Build a fire
• Curl up with a blanket and a good book (could NOT put this one down!)
• Visit a sunflower farm 
• Collect pinecones
• Add some fall flair to your front porch
• Cook dinner inside a pumpkin 

Happy fall y’all,
Kate