Well, fall has been and gone – gone sooner than I had hoped it would, thanks to six feet of snow dumped on our area the week before Thanksgiving.  (Weirdest storm ever: we were snowed in for a week, then we had a 61 degree day and almost all of the snow melted.  So strange.)  And now we’re in the in-between time better known as The Holidays, and soon we’ll be deep in winter.  But before I completely close the book on fall, I need to revisit my fall list and tell you how I did on it.

The short answer: not great.  I knew my list was a bit ambitious.  Still, I had hoped to get through more of it than I did – but thanks to weird weather, unexpected travel, and everything breaking, I mostly just hung on for dear life this season.  Still, I checked off a few items on the list:

• Hike Zoar Valley.
• Visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Greycliff – I wanted to get here over the summer, but I’m sure the house and grounds will look spectacular in autumn colors, too.
• Re-read Anne of the Island, my favorite of the Anne books and a perfect read for back-to-school season.  Done.  I always love a visit with Anne.
• Bake fall treats – apple coconut family cake, pumpkin bread, cinnamon scones, and cranberry-studded oatmeal cookies all sound good right now.  Can I call this done if I made homemade applesauce and an apple-cranberry pie for Thanksgiving?

• Visit Tifft Nature Preserve for our seasonal hike – this one will bring us full circle!  Done.  We had so much fun hiking Tifft in every season, that we’re going to continue the project – at a different nature preserve – next year.
• Knit a pair of warm socks.
• Make a dent in some of the unpacking; living in a sea of boxes gets wearing.  Done, thanks entirely to my parents, who spent a weekend unpacking, organizing and fixing things around the house.  We still have a lot to do, but a major dent has indeed been made.
• Go to Maine for my brother’s wedding – the event I’m most looking forward to all season!  Done – recap coming very soon!  The wedding was lovely, the bride and groom were radiantly happy, and Maine is beautiful.  I have a post with all of our weekend adventures coming to you on Monday.
• Make apple butter.  I’ve always wanted to try.

• Find Peanut an adorable Halloween costume to wear to school.  Done.  She was the cutest little Afghan princess ever!  Now the challenge will be topping this costume next year.  It was a genuine Afghan girl outfit, purchased by Aunt R in Kabul, and there’s no way we’re going to find something nearly as unique ever again.
• Spend some time in Fairacre with my favorite teachers – Miss Read, Miss Clare, and Mrs. Annett.  And Amy, of course!  Well, I did re-read The Fairacre Festival, which at 103 pages isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a doorstop, but I guess I can call this one done since I looked in on Fairacre for a few hours.  It wasn’t as much time as I’d wanted to spend there, but who ever gets enough time in Fairacre?
• Discover a new local hike.
• Take Peanut to visit Cornell, Mommy and Daddy’s (and her future) alma mater.  LET’S GO RED!
• Drink hot apple cider as much as I can.  And make roasted pumpkin seeds.  My two favorite seasonal treats.  I drank hot cider exactly one time, so can I call this one at least half done?  I never got around to making roasted pumpkin seeds – bummer.  I look forward to them all year and I’m furious with myself for letting the opportunity slip by me this year.

• Run for fun – a few 5Ks and, of course, the turkey trot with my sisters-in-law.  Done – one 5K, anyway, and the Turkey Trot.  Running with a passenger is not easy, but I’m glad that I’ve been able to stick with it this far into my pregnancy!
• Pick out a pattern and start working on Peanut’s Weasley Christmas sweater.  Done.  Peanut’s Weasley sweater is almost finished, thanks to a week snowed in at home, plus a long weekend for Thanksgiving.  I’ll definitely be done in time for this one to be under the tree.
• Read some Dickens.

If you made a fall list, how’d you do?  If you didn’t make a list, what was your favorite way to celebrate fall this year?