Ca fait beau! Fall,my favorite season.

Usually, by the first week of October,I have finished with harvesting any last remaining cayenne peppers and collected the basil seeds for next years planting. Fall is my favorite season. I eagerly look forward to the first cool front,the first time I'm be able to put on a pot of Gumbo or soup without turning the air conditioner's thermostat down. ha,ha.
As a crafter that uses Nature's bounty, I go into my hunter/gather mode,always on the lookout for sweet gum trees waiting for their prickly balls to fall ,tall pine trees with both large and small pine cones,pine needles, Job's Tears, acorns and nuts that are ready to be harvested. It is a great time to gather Magnolia leaves and preserve them along with red maple leaves. I use a Gel Medium,(an acrylic medium,often used in acrylic painting),painting on the top and undersides of the leaves. Gel medium is available in both matt and glossy finishes. It is white in color,but drys clear and is very effective in preserving the leaves. It can be found at most local crafting and hobby stores. I like to use gold spray paint and gold glitter spray paint also on Magnolia leaves and use these in wreathes, flower arrangements,placed under candles in a circle for decoration and table centerpieces. While searching for my bounty, I take walks and occasionally will find an empty bird's nest, if I am lucky. I only take those that are on the ground, in case the former resident would want to return home, again next year.These are always a nice addition to your Christmas tree-add a nifty surprise and deviation from the usual ornament.
Ca fait beau!! Here in S.W., LA.,we rarely get lucky enough where it is cold enough for a jacket this early in the Fall season. I intend to take full advantage, perhaps light a fire in my outside fireplace and enjoy a mug of hot chocolate and watch the flames lick the steel grate surrounding the edges of my black iron fire pit and give thanks for Nature's bounty and beauty as we transition into another season. A season of giving thanks,religious holidays filled with children's laughter and good foods, fun and loving family time.