November already? The first two months of fall seemed to speed by, yet looking back August beach days seem far away indeed. Now we enter the gauntlet to the end of the year: The holidays (and all the attendant days that school will be closed), the loss of light. I’m consciously trying to slow down a little and savor this last gasp of fall, so I put together a Living Small list for autumn going into winter:
All. The. Fall. Things.
PSA: Post-Halloween it’s important to take down your cobweb decorations, as they are terribly effective at snaring birds (next year, maybe skip them altogether?), and don’t put those pumpkins in the trash.
I am bursting with excitement for soup season.
Yesterday I planted four blueberry bushes in our shared city backyard—a small start on my dream of a backyard habitat outside my window. Pssst: If you swing by the nursery this weekend, perennials are on deep discount (mine were half off). Also: Late-fall planters.
The media is obsessed with alliterative garden phrases, but just as “no mow May” is a little misguided, so is the phrase “leave the leaves.” Some plants are sensitive to being mulched over and a thick layer of leaves will kill your lawn, but you can use that to your advantage! Pile up the leaves where you want to dig new beds. Also: Prepare your compost for winter.
Fall is apparently my season to fall in love with biking. New York City’s bike ride share finally arrived in my neighborhood, and I’m hooked. Biking is faster than the subway, and I get to be outside and exercise. The city has added miles of bike lanes since I last biked regularly, and it is so freeing not to have to worry about locking up your bike when you reach your destination (or storing it in your apartment!). I signed up for the year.
I bought myself this collapsible bike helmet from Loop.
…it’s also ideal running weather. I run in all seasons, but fall is undeniably the best. A few years ago my friend introduced me to the Footpath app and it is a game changer for mapping routes in advance of your run.
This Marcus Samuelsson apple cake recipe is one of those dead simple ones that I’m amazed is so good every time I make it. On my to-do list this weekend.
Home stuff.
This furniture collection: I want it all.
I’ve got a little PTSD from a terrible shade of green I once painted my bedroom, but…
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