Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce, who blogs at From This Side of The Pond.  Each week she'll pose some questions for us to answer. What a great way to journal life.

1. Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? Oooooh, the fall leaf colors, pumpkin patches and pumpkins in the decor, lighting candles, being cozy and making soups. 

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? I'm getting ready to check it off....going to Colorado. We're heading there this week for almost two weeks to explore in nature! Going anywhere with stunning colors will be on my bucket list. A few years ago we went to the NE States and we also went to Leavenworth, Washington where I was able to see the larches. 

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? I do like sweet potatoes and butternut squash. I love sweet potato fries, butternut squash risotto and I've done a sweet potato shepherds pie. I've also done baked sweet potatoes with chili on top. They're not a fave of my hubby so I don't make them often. Any on the list you don't eat? I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie. Which one have you had most recently? Sweet potato fries last week. 

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Yes...but also a little no thrown in. Elaborate. Yes, fall is beautiful with the changing colors...but it's also proof that change can be hard. It's the falling away of things, the letting go of what was, it's dealing with some changes that might be uncomfortable to get us to a place we want to be. We don't usually see what's taking place inside the trees and leaves, we just see the beautiful colors that emerge before they fall to the ground. We don't pay attention to the flowers and plants in the garden that don't survive or turn beautiful before they go dormant for the winter. We don't always notice the grass getting green again from more rain. We tend to focus on the leaves and the trees. I believe each season is beautiful and each season brings a change of some sort. I think maybe for some spring is their beautiful season of change, or maybe even winter. 

5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? I don't think people come to our area specifically for leaves. The more central/eastern part of the state seem to have a more stunning display. Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? I mentioned above, we are actually heading to Colorado this week for almost 2 weeks for vacation. Excited to see the leaves.  Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwestern Wyoming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

I have been to Stowe Vermont, and well, okay, I live near the Columbia River Gorge so I guess people do come to visit near where I live...lol. My hubby is currently in Utah and sent some pretty photos. I'll share below. I think I'd like to visit Zion, Tenn/NC border, West virginia...okay, maybe all of them. 

Below are the photos my hubby sent me from Utah. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

As I mentioned above, we're heading to Colorado this week for a vacation. I'm trying to pack but it's tough when the weather can be so up and down...now in areas it's saying it might start snowing...I may need to go to a Goodwill and buy a winter coat for the trip and then re-donate it..lol. Everyone says to pack layers. I'm so bad at that. I'm always hot so I have to remind myself that this is the mountains and I need to be prepared. Even though I live in Washington, we aren't at a high elevation to experience drastic weather changes. I'm hoping we get some blue sky, dry and beautiful days to experience the fall colors. 

Our grandson started soccer and it's fun to watch. He does a good job. 

I have a long to do list and I watch the grandkids today. I'll keep this short. I appologize..I didn't get around to commenting last week. I'll try to do better this week though we'll be gone on vacation, which also means I probably won't get around to posting next week or possibly the following week. We'll see. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin