Two Lips in Fall—ME

Fall is my favorite season.

Chili Days — For me, fall becomes official on the first really cool, almost-cold day. I always mark the occasion by having a fire and fixing a big pot of chili.

Beauty Berry — My garden contains three Beauty Berry shrubs. They’re fairly nondescript in summer, making barely noticeable pale-pink flowers all along the branches. Come fall, however, those branches of flowers turn into beautiful arching sprays of show-stopping purple berries. Every passerby stops to look, but the shrubs lose the berries fast because birds love them.




Halloween — Our home is on a cul de sac with four other houses. For more than 10 years, we and our neighbors have celebrated Halloween by circling our firepits in the street. From around this circle, we hand out candy to the kids, chat with their parents, and, of course, have drinks! It’s a much-treasured tradition.

Clouds — Every fall, there’s always at least one day when a cold front comes in, bringing with it billowing winds and big, fast-moving, dark-gray clouds. I find it so cozy, even a bit wistful, but also exciting and liberating.

October Full Moon — It doesn’t happen on every vacation we take to the beach, but during most, we get to watch a big, full October moon rise out of the ocean, move up in the sky, and shine a crystalline path across the water. It is such an awe-inspiring sight.