Why I Love September Pt. 4: Fall is in the air

Here we are: the last post of my four-part series on Why I Love September! It’s been a thrill to chronicle the many reasons I think September is a spectacular month, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and maybe even gotten a few tips.

Even if you aren’t in the same love affair with September as I am (or as fanatical about planning and organizing), I think you’ll like this post.

Because it’s all about fall. And truthfully, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like autumn!

While September marks the end of summer officially and you may be mourning the end of the season of flip flops, beach days and margaritas on the patio, September is such a beautiful seasonal transition month. It’s still sunny and warm, yet the scorching humidity (at least in Ontario) is gone, meaning the temperature is pretty ideal (another reason we got married in September). It’s an introduction to fall.

Summer pastimes like cottaging and going to the beach are still totally doable (depending on where you are) and often less busy. Activities like hiking are often even nicer in the slightly cooler weather, and you may be lucky enough to see some leaves change toward the end of the month.

It has the benefit of summer activities along with the allure of fall – the best of both worlds, IMO.

But moving along from the weather (perhaps the most Canadian first-half of a blog post ever). An entry about September would be remiss without the mention of fall fashion.

‘Tis the season of earth tones, boots, scarves, blazers, jean jackets, trench coats, hats, and layering – all items I get excited about sporting. And with back-to-school shopping in full swing, it can feel like a natural time to upgrade the wardrobe or add a few pieces to get excited about wearing when the cooler temperatures hit.

Even just hauling your existing fall clothes off the top shelf of the closet can be a huge mood booster – a chance to revisit the gems that you can start reintroducing into the rotation. In Eastern Ontario where we have four distinct seasons, all requiring their own attire, I make a choice to look forward to the seasonal clothing swap, which can otherwise easily become just another daunting chore.

It’s also an opportunity to get rid of unwanted or unworn items from the past season. For example, at the end of the summer, I’ll make a donation pile of any hot-weather items I didn’t wear over the previous four months. Not only are you doing a good deed, but the emptier closet space makes room for the items you DO wear and actually appears that you have more to wear.

And now, last but not least, food. FALL FLAVOURS!

PSLs may naturally come to mind (especially since Starbucks released them on September 6 this year), but there are so many delicious, healthy and fresh foods, including harvest vegetables, available at this time of year here as well as fall-like spices and flavours. Yes, including pumpkin. And spices.

In no particular order:

• Chai (try this Coconut Chai Latte from Oh She Glows)
• Maple
• Pumpkin (try these Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats with Chia from Ambitious Kitchen)
• Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
• Apples (try my Healthy Apple Crisp)
• Squash
• Cranberries
• Beets (try Minimalist Baker’s Baked Rosemary Beet Chips)
• Brussels sprouts
• Grapes
• Green beans (make this Garlic Green Beans side dish from Food52)

Now hit the road for one more weekend on the lake, chai latte in hand – I know that’s what I hope to do!

Note: I also just recently discovered that it’s National Yoga Month, meaning another reason to love September! Short of devoting another blog post to it, I’ll leave this here:  http://wanderlust.com/journal/september-national-yoga-month/. Namaste!