Along with the change of seasons, I also change the type of clothing that I wear. I spent one morning this week changing my wardrobe from the summer short sleeved things to the longer sleeves that are my winter wardrobe. I do not store them far away; I use some old suitcases as storage.

I also exchanged my short pants for long ones. It feels good to be in jeans again. I actually moved my jeans to my new bedroom. I was having a hard time sleeping in the bedroom that I was in and decided to move to the one with my single bed. After all, I bought it so that when I can no longer go upstairs, it will fit in my living room.

Time to dig out the sweatshirts, too. They feel so good on these cooler than normal mornings. I keep a diary so I know that last year it was not as cool at this time of year. In fact, in one of my October entries I wrote that I was still wearing short pants. We did not have a frost at this time last year either.

While I still have not had a frost, I suspect that some of those who live above me have experienced one since I saw a car with frost go down the road last Monday. My neighbors down the road informed that they had frost last Friday. While it has been in the thirties it has not gone down below freezing here.

I especially like those shirts that have three-quarter sleeves. I am still wearing those when it is not quite so cold.

I am much more eager to cook once the temperature drops. I do not mind my kitchen heating up at all. It feels good. I love to cook. I like to experiment as well. When I see a recipe that sounds good, I check the ingredients. If it calls for something that I do not routinely have in my pantry, I do not save it because I know that most likely I will not make it. I am not one to go out to purchase something special just to make something I have never tried.

Through the years I have perfected many types of soup. That is the perfect meal for me because it has meat and vegetables so my meal does not take much to balance. I am a stickler for balanced meals. I am often asked if I cook for myself. Yes, I do. If I cook too much, I can always give some away. I can also pop some of it into the freezer to have another time.

Cold weather also prompts me to bake bread. Homemade bread is so much different from that you buy in the store. The texture and the taste are so different. Kneading the dough is therapeutic. I do not use my dough hook because I really like to knead the dough by hand.

I have also begun to use my gas fireplace. I find that I use that more in the spring and fall than I do in the winter. I use it when my furnace would not be running. The warmer air outdoors prevents my furnace from running. It keeps it toasty in here. The only problem I have with that is my dog, Micah, always takes off and climbs in his kennel. He does not like the fireplace. Snaps does not seem to mind at all. Don used to laugh. When I bent over to turn the fireplace on, my dog disappeared. The only thing he comes in the living room for is if I am eating something and he thinks he might get a taste.

I had some pachysandra rooting in the kitchen window. I took advantage of yesterday’s good weather to plant it under my tree. It is fully shaded so that is a good choice. Now if I can only keep those chipmunks away long enough for it to get dug in! I put some rocks over each piece so hopefully that works.

The leaves are turning very quickly. Someone who lives nearby posted a photograph of the change in just a couple days. She, too, noticed how quickly things are happening.

I love the fall season because it so pretty. Those colored leaves really are spectacular when the sun shines on them. Today was supposed to be a cloudy day according to the weather forecaster, but alas, it is sunny. Any day when we have sunshine makes me feel better. Somehow, I have more energy to do things that I need to do to get my place ready for the winter months when there is sunshine.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.