We are SO glad to have you! So what if you’re not officially here yet. So what if temperatures are a little too high for my liking. We are more than ready to have you. We’ve even made your bed up—well, we’ve started to, anyway, since most of the leaves are still green. Don’t worry, though; we have plenty of other ways to welcome you home, such as…

Hanging up our scented brooms. Mmm… they make our home smell like cinnamon and cloves and look so rustic and beautiful on the doors.

Swapping out the candles. Gone are the citrusy scents reserved for summer. Warm vanilla, apple cinnamon, and the aroma of baked goods will soon waft through the house, tantalizing our senses and making us wonder how we’ve functioned the rest of the year without these comforts.

Harvesting the tomatoes. It’s been a rough year for them, but now that we’ve got some full vines it’s time to pick the fruits of our labor and dice them up for some delicious fall stews.

Planting the mums. The bright bursts of color never fail to bring a warm sense of home to my bones every time I look at them in our garden. Last year we also placed some baby squash around the garden for a pretty decorative effect and it was as if you, dearest autumn, set up shop right in the middle of the yard.

Going on a fall drive. Seeing the Missouri trees change color as we travel from St. Louis all the way down past Cape Girardeau is a delight every year. Sure, we like to add in other trips along the way to justify the gas expense—a visit with dear relatives, apple picking, a stop in my favorite old college haunts like the bookstore and Mexican restaurant—but it’s those trees we can’t wait to see. When we see the dogwood start to change, we know that fall has definitely arrived—although the sumac, oak, maple, and many others put on blazing displays for us to enjoy much earlier. Of course, we don’t have to journey any further than our own front yard to see the amazing russet fire provided by our Bradford pear.

Hanging our wreaths. We enjoy making lovely fall wreaths—as well as buying ears of corn—to display in and around our home. We also take fall displays to the graves of our loved ones. This year, I’m hoping to buy a fragrant wreath from The Hunger Site [3] to help fund a good cause and revel in those amazing aromas.