The Anticipation of Fall

There is something to be said about living in an area which has four seasons....Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.  It truly is magical to experience and enjoy the beauty of each season and their change to the next.  However, there are some of us who prefer one season over the other, especially when there are extremes in temperatures in the season which we are trying to enjoy at the moment.  For instance, currently in Wisconsin, as in other parts of the country I am sure, there are temperatures in the nineties and dew points well over the sixties which makes it too hot, muggy and uncomfortable to take pleasure in outdoor events.  Actually, it makes dreaming and planning for the cool, crisp Autumn ahead of us a bit of a relief.  "Sweater weather" is what some look forward to when we encounter sweltering heat.

There are, however, other reasons to look forward to the expected change of seasons.  To name a few, I always get extremely excited over the change of Fall to Winter since we move right into the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas is a special time full of celebrations with family, friends and neighbors. Then, of course, after a long, cold and white winter, we begin to think about and yearn for the arrival of Spring when green grass and gorgeous colored tulips return and the earthy scent of rain permeates the air.  But, in Wisconsin, Spring can still be rather cold and does not provide warm enough temperatures to enjoy outside activities.   For that we need Summer or what I call  "beach season".  The warmth of the sun and sand at the beach finally melts any remaining chill from Winter and a struggling Spring and rejuvenates the inner soul.  This now takes us full circle to what I have already mentioned above when Summer must end and brings us back to the beauty of "sweater weather" or Fall.  It is evident that each season has is own purpose and something special to offer.

Now it may be a bit too early in this Summer season to mention the things that I enjoy about Fall, but the four seasons are after all a part of the overall blessings which we receive and for which we should be very grateful daily.  There is truly something to appreciate in each of the seasons, but the anticipation of Fall, a season for pumpkin and apple picking, is eagerly awaited by many of us who have tired of the extremely humid weather and who love the sights, sounds and scents of this beautiful season.  Processing pie pumpkins into puree for future pumpkin pies and pancakes and making applesauce or apple pie filling certainly means many trips out to the pumpkin farms and apple orchards.  Of course, I also need to mention that the season provides hayrides, bonfires, corn mazes, the change in color in the foliage, apple cider, caramel apples, apple cider donuts, jack o lanterns, hay bales and corn stalk decor, and Halloween decorating with witches, ghosts and black cats for trick or treating. So much fun to delight in.

As I prepare ahead for such a cherished and best-loved season, I designed  and added some of the Fall flavors to my collection of pin cushion cutie pies.......of course, to pumpkin, apple and coffee, chocolate mocha.  These three flavors always seem to find themselves in my real desserts or morning muffins or sweet breads for this time of year.  I love having a strong cup of coffee and a pumpkin muffin in the early Fall mornings on the front porch.  They seem to taste so much more flavorful while sitting outside in the fresh, brisk air.

Even though the pin cushion cutie pies are not edible, I hope they still can elicit the craving and desire that a real pie would bring.   Certainly after creating these Fall cutie pies, I can't seem to wait for the Fall season to begin.   I just may make and freeze a few empty pie crusts in advance just so that I am ready for the first picking of apples.

Can you almost taste the flavors? 

One can almost taste the cinnamon and nutmeg with the crisp, tart and juicy apple slices.

Or there is the smooth and creamy taste of pumpkin pie dusted with grated nutmeg.  The velvety texture of this sweet and delicate pie topped with maple leaf crust cutouts satisfies any sweet tooth craving.

The combination of chocolate and coffee might be your preference for Fall.  This rich and decadent pie has the a soft luscious filling and is topped with white and milk chocolate stars, chopped coffee beans and chocolate jimmies.  Who can resist this silky chocolate coffee mocha pie with a strong cup of coffee?

Take your pick.  Which flavor is your favorite?  I can almost taste the flavor of Fall.  

Like my previous postings, Are You A Cutie Pie? and Flavors from the Tropics, each pie can easily become a Christmas tree ornament with a mason jar holder.  If you missed the previous two postings for other flavored cutie pie pin cushions/ornaments, just visit the following two links:

Are You A Cutie Pie?

Flavors of the Tropics

But now you can see the Fall cutie pies as tree ornaments.

I can say that I enjoy them more as an ornament in the tree or a table decor piece than I do as a pin cushion, but it is a personal preference.

I just thought I would mention, these are for purchase, if any one is interested, just visit Craftygrannie's Forever Christmas at:  https://www.ebay.com/str/craftygranniesforeverchristmas.  See the other flavors available there too.

Lets celebrate the anticipation of Fall!  It will be here before you know it.