My North Carolina

My North Carolina

Dense fog hangs low to the damp ground each morning and the air is crisp, clean, and cool. There is a particular smell that gently hits my nose as I walk through the fallen leaves to my car. The smell is a familiar mix of pine trees that have dropped their needles, huge oaks that are starting to shed their leaves, and the last of summer that had been hanging in the air. This smell is more than welcome and brings back a flood of childhood memories. This is fall in my North Carolina.

Faded green, bright orange, yellow, and red leaves crunch under my feet while the tall trees fight to hold on to the last of the foliage that hangs from their branches. My yard is covered with the fallen beauties along with every other yard in the neighborhood. The trees stand tall displaying their colorful patchwork of autumn colors against the rising sun while the dew causes the fallen leaves to shimmer like diamonds sprinkled on the ground.

Yards are decorated beautifully with deep red, bright yellow, and pretty lavender mums stacked neatly on hay bales. Different sized pumpkins, white gourds, and pale yellow squash finish off the fall displays. Lively scarecrows frumpily sit on front porch swings and “it’s fall ya’ll” signs are stuck in the ground by the steps.

Farmer’s markets are bursting at the seams with rich, full mums for decorating along with pumpkins and apples for making pies. There are fresh vegetables for making soups and stews, and homemade jams and jellies to satisfy the sweet tooth. The abundance of people taking their time while inspecting the flowers, fruits and veggies, is relaxing. Those that visit the farmer’s market seem to have slowed down to take in the season. They chat with vendors and exchange recipes that have been in their families for years. They make new friends and visit with old ones and seem to enjoy watching young parents chase their littles ones around while choosing a pumpkin for their front porch.

Fall festivals are in full swing in the biggest of cities to the smallest of towns. The streets are blocked off for pedestrians so they may meander from booths selling colorful handmade quilts to booths selling freshly made funnel cakes. The smell of pork BBQ cooking on the pit will get your stomach growling while the tunes of live country music travels through the air. The sounds of old friends seeing each other for the first time in a long time causes a heartwarming sensation to flow over me reminding me that with the fall season comes hope.

Friday nights are tailgate parties and high school football games. The evenings start