Autumn has finally made an appearance in Florida. Can you feel it?

The air is lighter, crisper. The breeze is fresh, laced with the sweet scent of pine needles and the smoky ash of long smoldering charcoal. The summer barbeques have ended, but their warm offerings still create a blanket across the houses long after the embers burn out.

The sun rises a little later, the warmth of his bed seducing him into a deeper slumber. A slight chill lingers until he wipes the sleep from his eyes, reluctant yet pressured, to warm the marshy undergrowth, the sandy beaches. For his morning pestilence, his mother sends him to bed a little earlier, hoping that a good night’s rest will strengthen him for the morrow.

We all know it doesn’t work, though – he grows more and more dependent on that sleep, rising later and retiring earlier, losing the battle against the winter’s entrance.

Not yet, though. For now, the sun stands his ground, beating back the intruding chill. Steadfast and true, he doesn’t permit the temperature to drop too fast, the leaves to fall too swift. However, even the sun grants a few indulgences, allowing the breeze it’s merriment in spreading the seasonal fragrance of coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon to lace our senses. Even the persevering globe of radiant heat cannot resist a pumpkin spice latte from time to time.

Enjoying the weather,

~ Victoria Elizabeth Ann