The weather man just promised highs in the 70s for the upcoming week. Joy to the World! So happy to kiss the hot steamy days of summer goodbye.

The rumble of thunder in the distance heralds the approaching cool front and I begin humming “September Song” while sweeping up the up the falling leaves to be dumped into my new compost pile.

It’s a good day to do some “get ready for winter” chores. I make a mental note to call my handyman to come install new weather stripping around my doors and windows. There’s a crack between my French doors big enough to let a small cow sneak through.

But first I haul out my crock pot to make my first batch of chili – a tradition I established decades ago on the first fall-feeling day of September. Never mind that the temps may crawl into the 80s. Fall is creeping in early this year and I welcome it.

Incidentally, here’s a tip for you chili lovers. Hunts has a new product out called Seasoned Diced Tomato sauce for Chili. All you do is dump it in a pot with browned ground meat and a can of beans and you’ve got chili in 10 minutes. It’s quite good, but I still added a healthy dose of cayenne, cumin and Tabasco.

There’s something so comforting about a bubbling pot of anything on the stove.

September has always been my favorite month – way back to when I was in grade school and got new pencils and notebooks, not to mention a new pair of saddle oxfords. Remember those hideous things that weighed a full five pounds each. Yet, I wish someone would bring them back.

Marilyn Monroe’s saddle oxfords are pictured above. I always preferred mine in brown.

Saddle oxfords (anyone know how they got that name?) were pushed out by Weejans which became all the rage during my college years. Sadly, they’re gone too.

Now we wear these slidey things that look like house shoes. I guess it’s all about convenience these days.
How are you preparing for winter as the days grow short and we slip pass September?