The rain stayed around most of yesterday, but, by late afternoon, Mother Nature had finally gotten tired of pelting us with all that rainwater. The sky lightened, the dogs went out and the night had stars. Today is a perfect fall day. It was 62° this early morning, but the temperature has already creeped up to 72°. The breeze is constant, strong. The trunks are swaying and the leaves are spinning. I can hear them swishing.

When I was a kid, fall was my favorite season. I loved all the colors. I loved the crisp mornings. The air was always clear, almost shimmery in the light. Summer humidity was finally gone. My mother used to make us wear a light jacket which, by afternoon, was too warm. I’d put it in my school bag for the walk home. Most afternoons I’d quickly get out of my school clothes into my play clothes. My neighborhood friends and I would sometimes play games on the street like Red Rover. We all knew the strategy. Pick the weakest player who probably couldn’t break the hand chain. We played Simon Says and Red Light. Other afternoons I’d bike ride, but I never went far from home. The street lights came on too early. That was fall afternoon’s only drawback.

Supper was more formal than in summer. We always had meat, mashed potatoes and a vegetable. My mother’s meatloaf was one of my favorites. Sometimes she’d put ketchup on the top and cover the ketchup with bacon. We fought over the bacon. It was always wonderfully crisp. Other times she used mashed potatoes like frosting. She’d cover the beef and put it back in the oven. The tips of the potatoes browned. It looked like a baked Alaska. We never had baked beans during the week. They were only for Saturdays. We had corn, niblets and creamed, baby peas, cut carrots which we ate reluctantly and green beans, mostly French green beans. I remember watching Leave It To Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. They always had a stack of white bread on the dinner table. We never did. Dessert was mostly cookies from the supermarket. I am and will forever be an Oreo Fan.

Lately I have been testing Oreo flavors, some new, some already traditional. Double Stuffed and Mega Stuffed are just perfection. I’ve had the Golden Oreo and liked it, but it took a while to get use to as Oreos were always chocolate when I was a kid. Mint and Peanut Butter are easy to like. I just tasted Banana Pudding Oreos. Okay, a taste doesn’t cover it. I ate the whole package. I also ate the whole package of Deep Fried Oreos. It wasn’t in one sitting but over time. I will never buy them again. They are so good they will never last. I‘d be making several trips to the kitchen for handfuls. Now I’ll just dream of my Oreos.

This entry was posted on September 14, 2026 at 1:57 pm and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.