MY FAVOURITE SEASON

I hate sweating. And I hate being hot. I know I already just talked about menopause, but one thing I didn't mention about it is the fact that for all the several years you go through it, you're HOT HOT HOT. And not just hot flashes either...... although those suck. But it just takes nothing to get hot ~ the weather can be warm, or you can be exerting a bit of energy just walking or cleaning out a sink...... anything ~ and it makes you HOT. And sweat. Just sleeping can do it too. All year round, even in the winter, I have a fan that blows across the foot of my bed all night just so I can keep my feet and legs cool, which in turn cools me off. All my life I've been a "sweater girl", I've always loved sweaters and worn them. It's been YEARS since I've been able to..... as a matter of fact, even in the winter I wear my summer blouses. That bites. The point of all this? SUMMER IS GONE!! YAY!! Sounds pretty bad coming from someone who used to love summer and be a sun worshipper (don't do that anymore, bad for the skin) but with the summer temperatures comes the menopausal body heat.

Winter has become somewhat of a relief for me just because I can cool off fast when I need to. And believe me, when you have a hot flash, for example, cooling off feels sooooo good, that you close your eyes, smile, and say "aaahhh" lots. However, I don't like the icy conditions winter brings, and although I love the snow, I really think it's beautiful, I don't like so much of it that it makes driving, walking and keeping your sidewalks clear difficult. So having said that, the BEST season for me is autumn. Beautiful colours, I can't get enough of that; plus the temperatures are so much more comfortable. Autumn is when you can have really beautiful weather and not be too cold nor too hot.
I particularly love going for walks when the leaves are still colourful on the trees but there's enough of them on the ground that you get to walk through them, hearing them crunch beneath your feet, and smell them beginning to return to the earth.

I also am becoming a bit more excited about Halloween in recent years. My favourite holiday has always been Christmas, and it always will be. And I go crazy decorating for that! But my sister Pammie, who lives in the suite downstairs in my house, loves Halloween above all else, and she goes NUTS decorating for it every year! And I have to tell you, it looks great down there when it's done! She has everything from lit pumpkins to an indoor tree decorated with ghost and pumpkin lights and other goodies. We live in a bi-level house, which means coming up the front sidewalk, you can see right into Pam's big living room windows, and at Halloween, the kids AND their parents all love seeing what she's done down there. And the spooky Halloween sounds and tunes she has blaring out of her window helps too!

The last couple of years she's started decorating outside too, and I've got involved in it. We've bought lots of stuff for it, including spooky coloured flood lights, skeletons, tombstones and the like. It's great, and a lot of fun. So because of her, I've got the Halloween bug now and I'm looking forward to getting it all spiffed up out there again this year. Last year we flooded it with red lights, thinking of blood... mua ha ha ha..... but this year we're thinking of an eerie green instead. I think that'll be even better. We often have our first snowfall right around Halloween, like last year, it snowed the day before. Now and then we have one without snow, and I think the decorations, particularly the gravesites we make, look better without the white stuff. I was hoping this year we might get lucky, but I don't know. They're calling for some white stuff this weekend, probably just a skiff of it. But who knows. It's been a nice Indian Summer so far, a bit cooler but sunny and pleasant. So here's hoping!

I'm also looking forward to Pam's annual Halloween dinner ~ every year she has a great dinner complete with a grizzly menu.....she takes ordinary dishes (meatloaf, salad, whatever) and names the dishes with ghoulish names like "fingernail salad" (with toasted almond slices) or the meatloaf looks like "brain something-or other" etc. etc. It's fun, and our young nephew and neice really get a giggle out of it. Anyway, it's all much more fun that what I did for years, just handing out candy at the door. Of course we still do, but now we get to listen to all the "oohs and aahs" that come with our decorating. Fun! For all of you out there who also love Halloween and the Autumn season........ enjoy!!

Scare ya later peeps!!