Welcome, Autumn

Today is the first day of fall. This is perfectly acceptable as I have been engaging in fall activities for the last several days.

Most notably I

-Put up applesauce on Saturday. I bought Gala apples at my local farm stand to make applesauce, which my sister advised me was a bad idea. Galas don't cook down easily. I ignored my sister, though, because I already had half a bushel of apples sitting on my kitchen counter. You just have to show the apples who's boss (and then cook them for a surprisingly long time, because, yea, verily, Galas are bad applesauce apples).

-Made Aunt Muriel's apple cake, my fall food of choice.

-Went hiking this evening and marveled at the fall foliage, even though I was complaining just days ago to my mom that the trees in Utah don't change color like they do at home. It was a very pretty hike, and I did not encounter any mountain lions, which I discovered is a fear of mine. I DID encounter stinging nettle, because I'm completely unable to identify harmful plants.

Next up for fall activities:
1. Pumpkin purchasing
2. Baking apple cake many, many, many more times
3. Cowboy poetry

It's a very fine season.