Five days after the official beginning of fall, the state of Alabama is taking a deep breath. The temperature has finally condescended to inch below ninety degrees for a high, and we are loving it. Even the dogs have an extra spring in their step. Two of them opted to bake in the yard for about a half hour today before they wanted back in, which hasn’t happened since spring.
Fall and Halloween decorations are slowly appearing around town. However, no one is displaying real carved pumpkins yet. Even with our present fall temperatures, there is not a real pumpkin that has a chance of making it the 33 or 34 days left until Halloween in good shape.
Fall wreaths and fall colors are popular decorations; they add a pop of color to landscaping that has been devoid of flowers since spring, unless you live in a house with enough shade to grow azaleas. Spring is our big time for azaleas, but an increasing number of varieties bloom in the fall as well. Seeing the fall azalea blooms feels serendipitous; a little wink from the weather to remind us that, yes, we are in the South, and yes, the temperature has stayed too high for too long, but fall will arrive.
With Halloween decorations, I enjoy houses that go all out with a non-scary motif. Homeowners do lots of neat things with skeletons. Examples include skeletons sitting around campfires, toasting s’mores; skeletons in beach chairs toasting passersby with their beer of choice; and skeletons sitting on pool floaties in the front yard, waving. I also enjoy the houses in ritzy, sedate neighborhoods that decide to “do” Halloween. I’m not sure the sedate neighbors enjoy it that much, but I do.
Sadly, I have not yet trekked into the garage to find our box of Halloween decorations. I suspect it's hidden among the stacks of the other boxes that have yet to be unpacked. Our Halloween stuff is for indoor decoration. I have a few fall outdoor decorations, but maybe it is time for me to expand into the outdoor Halloween business.
Or maybe I’ll just continue to enjoy everyone else’s Halloween decorations while imagining all the added spaces those decorations create for hiding bodies and committing crimes for me to write about.
Has fall started where you are yet? Do you decorate for fall, or Halloween, or both?
It started here September 1. I love the elaborate displays.
ReplyDeleteWe are past peak color here, but with enough still around to take your breath away.,
ReplyDeleteI live in a large apartment building where each apartment has an alcove with a shelf by the door. People put up seasonal decorations. Fall ones are up now; Halloween ones will begin this month. Fun to walk the halls periodically to see them.
ReplyDeleteThe skeletons on pool floaties got me, Nancy. Thanks for the reminder that every decoration doubles as a potential crime scene! We've got pumpkins around our apartment building, which is a nice accent.
ReplyDeleteWe are at and over our fall colors in my neck of the woods. Since we had a dry summer, they've been rather subdued compared to prior years.
ReplyDeleteNo fall decorations or Halloween decorations for us, but blow-up yard ornaments and skeletons seem to be the choice of those that do in my neighborhood. My favorite, a massive skeleton walking a skeleton dog. I can only imagine what it took to put that together!
I am in MA. Considering the weather we have been having over the weekend and continuing through today, we will be lucky to keep our trees never mind the leaves on them. If the amount of rain we have had occurred a couple of months from now it would be equivalent to several feet of snow.
ReplyDeleteI doubt anyone has put up anything for the fall since between the wind and the rain, nothing would have survived. The only decorations people have been putting up have been plywood to protect their windows. I suppose I could decorate the ark.
No fall color in CIncinnati, though the leaves are looking faded. My hydrangas are bursting with new blooms four months late. It's been that kind of year. Halloween decorations, including the inflatable Frankinsteins and black cats, will terrorize my poodles in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI'm an observer not a decorator. I'll drive around the neighborhood in the fall, Halloween, and at Christmas as we have some very creative folks with high electric bills.
ReplyDeleteOur trees are just starting to change. I’m such a procrastinator. I’ve just decided to skip Halloween this year and focus on trying to get ready for the winter holidays. We do have one spectacular Halloween house, not far away, and I am looking forward to seeing their annual display.
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