It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Fall

During my formative years, my dad had numerous expressions that have stayed with me.  A few of them are, “My favorite kind of cake is pie,” “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick,” and “Don’t take any wooden nickels.”

If you live in Michigan, you might have noticed that the average daily (and overnight low) temperatures have dropped more than 20 degrees this week.  It’s that time of year when you can still wear your flip flops, but you’re going to need a sweatshirt.  I love this time of year – despite the explosion of pumpkin spice EVERYTHING – although the chilly temp, and the delayed sunrise, can make it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

This past Thursday morning while I was getting ready for work, I was contemplating whether we should turn the furnace on for the first time of the season, and I heard my dad’s voice inside my head say, “Put on a sweater.”  I had already done that, and I was off to the office for the day anyway, so I didn’t bother with the furnace, but I am amused how it seems to become a primary source of discussion amongst folks this time of year.  “Have you turned your furnace on yet?”

When I lived in my parents house, I was usually the first person to suggest turning on the furnace. Another memorable Dad saying was, “You can touch that thermostat when you start paying the bills around here.” I grew up in a house that had hot water radiators for heat. It was an antiquated system even at the time, but those radiators were great first thing in the morning or when we would come in from outside. We would sit on them until our biscuits were burning and we were forced to stand up.

As expected, once at work, our daily morning meeting began with chilly weather chit-chat.  People who walk their dogs before work seem to enjoy the cooler temps.  There was discussion about who likes to sleep with the windows open when its cool, and a straw poll to see who has already turned on their furnace. I considered those who have already turned their furnaces on, to be ‘giving in,’ like it’s a competition or something. And to me, it kind of is. I try to be the hold out; the last person to turn their furnace on for the season. My dad would be proud.

Back to pumpkin spice for a minute.  I’m not gonna lie.  I do love a Pumpkin Pecan Waffle scented candle or wallflower from Bath & Body Works.  I’ll admit I’m a fan of pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin pie.  However, I can’t get on the pumpkin spice bus when it comes to Oreos, Cheerios, or KitKats, and it certainly doesn’t belong on my marshmallows or in my peanut butter.

In a past blog, I’ve extolled the virtues of heated car seats (one of the top five best inventions in the world) so I won’t go on about it again, however, I’m going to share another fabulous feature of my car – climate control.  I think I’ve had features on other cars I’ve owned ‘called’ climate control, but I’ve never had one before that turns on either the heat or the air conditioner based on the temperature I have set in my car – which I like to be somewhere between 68- and 70-degrees year-round.  Maybe this isn’t new, and maybe this isn’t fabulous to others, but when I was driving to work on Thursday morning and realized I had warm air blowing on my toes and I hadn’t turned the ‘furnace’ on in my car, I was ridiculously delighted. (Car heaters are exempt from my last hold out competition.)

I received a text from my son.  “54 outside, 68 inside, a pumpkin pie frappe in my hand, and wearing a sweater.  It’s the best time of year again!”  I couldn’t agree more.