I Love Feeling Fall Creep In

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Fall is one season we don't get a lot of here in SoCal. Okay, who am I kidding. We generally have one season, calm summer. It's 68-73 degrees, sunny, with a lovely ocean breeze most of the time. But one does miss the more powerful change of season in more northerly climates at times.

August and September are usually our hottest months, our full-bore summer weather. So it's been quite lovely to feel fall sneaking in the past few days. Here's how I know it's really fall even if the days are still warm and sunny.

Saturday morning I was up very early. It was cool enough to make "warm" chocolate. I didn't heat the milk up too hot, just nicely warm. It was delicious and soothing and calming...all the things a good warm chocolate should be with a touch of vanilla and salt. So lovely. Then Sunday I spent the afternoon at friends' house and sat out in the mellow fall sun all afternoon catching up with dear ones. It was just the right amount of lovely, not too hot, just cozy.

Monday morning just before five I woke up feeling very cold. Haven't felt that in a LONG time. I got up and pulled the down comforter out of the closet and wrapped it all around me like a fur coat and dreamily went back to sleep. Two hours later I was dying and way too hot, but for a while it was wonderful to be bundled up and again...cozy.

Later that morning when I woke up I pulled on sweat pants and a cardigan sweater and happily wasn't a bit uncomfortable even though it was a sunny day. Another sign the seasons are changing. A couple of hours later when I finally decided to eat breakfast, what did I want? Hot cereal, a big bowl of oatmeal. Haven't wanted that since last winter. Cozy cereal for a cozy  morning.

So even though we are still wearing tee shirts, flipflops and short skirts and won't have changing leaves or be wearing delicious wool tweeds, tights and knee-high boots anytime soon, it's a joy to find small signs of fall here in our beautiful oceanside city.