It is my favorite time of year!!! Maybe because it’s my birthday season! Maybe because it’s Halloween and “witches” are finally cool! But this year I decided to explore a little deeper into why I love this season so much. Have you ever felt a real connection to the Earth? I think I do more in the fall. It’s like the energy, colors, harvest and celebration make me a more productive human, a better person, even a better Real Estate Agent.
THE COLORS:When I was a kid, my mother did this color matching thing that helped you understand what type of colors worked well for your skin tone and personality. We were all definitely “Warm” color palettes! And those are all the colors of Fall. What I realized is that those deep dark colors of the leaves as they change is that fall really matches my personality too. I enjoy a full-bodied life. The things I consume are that way as well. Food is heavy with flavor, drinks are full of tannins or malts, books have rich and deep stories. After a visit last year to Colorado, I saw the difference in the green mountains of North Carolina that I love so much from the Rockies in the west, but that doesn’t even begin to compare to the beauty that happens when those greens turn to gold and burgundy and orange. It literally does something to my soul. The change is a powerful miracle that I’m not even sure of the scientific specifics, though I’ve heard it and taught it to my children so many times. That change gives me hope, because after all the humans mimic what happens to the Earth, since we are nothing more than Earth ourselves. If the Earth can go through such drastic changes to create so much immense beauty, so can we.
THE ENERGY: I feel a different energy in the air. Maybe it’s created by the pull of the Earth away from the sun. Maybe it’s created by the cool temperatures. It could even be the lack of humidity in the air after a summer of thickness. All of those things seem to make it easier to do things. It gives me energy to work harder and longer. I even see it in the animals on the farm. The horses always get a little more frisky this time of year. Our old guy Tyson, who you can’t get to run in the summer, will just take off in these months. I don’t work horses very much in the summer because the heat is too much, in my opinion, but once the temps begin to cool, we are back in the arena putting on some muscle mass. The boys here have gained a few pounds on all that summer grass. Now it’s time to turn that into muscle.
THE HARVEST: If you don’t go to the Farmer’s Market this time of year, you are really missing out! And if you don’t have a local one, find one to deliver! My favorite delivery is Misfit Market, but there are tons of local farms that will ship. My favorite thing to do is go to the local farmers market to meal plan for the week. Our last market find was homemade pasta. I really enjoyed building meals around the homemade tortilini, ravioli and gnocchi we found. Sometimes I can find bushels of older produce that I can take home and can for the winter. One day I will get back to my own harvest. The nights of shelling peas and snapping beans in front of the TV are not over for me. I dream of a pantry full of Ball jars with all kinds of concoctions. I will be apple picking in the next week. Then there will be a trip to pick pumpkins and gourds for processing and drying. In preparation for my garden next year I’m going to try to do a little seed banking this year! I’ve been reading about it in ancient cultures. The people who held the seeds in a village held the power! I don’t have a green thumb by any stretch, or any power for that matter, but I am sure going to try!
THE CELEBRATION: The beauty of it all is that it culminates in my absolutely favorite holiday…Thanksgiving! It is the only holiday that is truly, solely about food. My favorite day where I spend all day in the kitchen and all week prepping. It celebrates 3 of my favorite F words Food, Family, and Football. What could be better than eating with your favorite people and falling asleep in front of the game or starting your own outside in the cool air. I spend time making crafts and decorations and dessert (which I never make because I don’t measure things). When my native ancestors would gather from the fields and preserve and store and then give thanks…I fell connected to that, or at least I try to. And as I get older, I find the need to try a little harder every year to connect to that. It’s not trendy and people don’t understand why I do it. They say it’s “harder”. But how can something that your people have been doing for hundreds of years be harder than the basic, plastic stuff people try to do now?!
OH WHAT DOES THE MARKET DO?? And I don’t mean Farmer’s Market. Traditionaly Spring is the busiest time for Real Estate. People are looking to move through the summer and settle down for fall. But after the spring, and heck the last 18 months, we could all use a “settle down”. In the 4 years I’ve been in Real Estate, the Fall has been my favorite. I do think this year we will see a calming of sorts where people are actually able to get into the homes they want and maybe even have a selection of homes to look through. BUT, with the right tools and techniques, none of that really matters. Yes, I can likely get you the financing. Yes, I can find you a beautiful home in your budget. And Yes, the price you pay might be higher than what you would get it for in maybe 12 months…BUT the interest rate will be lower!!! Find yourself a mortgage calculator and do some quick math…$370K house at a 3.5% interest rate ($1675) vs. a $350K house at a 5% interest rate ($1840)…https://www.mortgagecalculator.org The rates are already starting to climb. There is some fear that the Fed will make some changes. I met with a lender this past week that has a program at $0 down, 3.5% for a 640 credit score that’s a conventional loan. Yes, Real Estate is about price. But sooooo much goes into that price. Fall is my favorite time to sell houses!!
I hope you enjoy all the cool temps, amazing food, and beautiful scenery!
southerngirlweb 