The Plotmonkeys
www.plotmonkeys.com
Carly Phillips Leslie Kelly Janelle Denison Julie Leto


What Janelle had to say on Monday, September 22nd, 2008
First Day of Fall
Janelle Icon

If you didn’t already know, today is officially the first day of Fall. Back when I lived in Southern California, I wouldn’t pay attention to such things because in So. Cal. there is only one season: Summer. Seriously. It’s hot/warm every single month of the year — with a few “cooler” days thrown in for good measure. There is no turning of the leaves and pretty autumn colors. There is no cold winter’s night where you must bundle up to keep warm. There is no flourishing of plants and flowers in the Spring in a way that says “wow”, or separates Winter from Spring.

But here in Oregon, there are seasons! Four of ‘em. And I’m so excited to welcome Fall — the cooler weather, the change of colors, the warmer clothes, the rain, snuggling under the comforter in the cold early mornings. This week, according to forecasters, it’s going to be perfect Fall weather — temperatures in the 60’s during the day, and the 40’s during the night. And a bit of rain here and there. Ahhh, I’m truly in heaven!

I love the cooler weather. No, wait, I LOVE the cooler weather. Sure, Summer is nice with bright sunny skies and warm weather, but I can only take so much of the heat. And surprisingly, there were some really hot days in Oregon this summer — and we have no air conditioning in the house we’re renting. Ugh. I’m reserving judgement on Winter here in Oregon, because people keep telling me that it just rains all the time and it’s COLD. Well, I do love the cold and rain, more than the sun, so I can’t imagine that it will be that bad. I’ve seen the Spring here, and it’s truly a gorgeous sight.

But I think that Fall is going to be my favorite time of the year. And I’m excited that it’s finally here and I can enjoy everything about it. I’ve bought warm comforters for the family, jackets and sweaters, long sleeved sweatshirts, and warm shoes to replace my flip-flops. I’m so ready for Fall, so BRING IT ON!

So, what is your favorite time of the year (Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer), and why?

Janelle

JanelleJanelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 40 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.

35 comments to “First Day of Fall”

  1. Margay says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 am · Link

    I live in Massachusetts, so for me, Fall is just like the picture you posted and I love it! The first snow is nice and so is the advent of Spring, but there is nothing quite like the show put on by all of the trees here in the Fall. Plus the weather is more tolerable now, too.



  2. Alicia Tags says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 am · Link

    I live in Oklahoma, so while we do have four seasons, they’re not made spectacular by beautiful scenery. Being a spring baby, it’s hands down my favorite season. Spring is rejuvenating in so many ways. It’s a true re-birth of the world around you, and I find that such a pick-me-upper. Nothing like the first flower buds of spring blooming under your nose with their beautiful fragrance to get you going. I find winter depresses me, so spring is a renewel for my soul as well, and I look forward to it every year.



  3. Stacy ~ says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 7:11 am · Link

    Here in Chicago, we definitely have 4 seasons, though at times it feels like only 2. Spring is my favorite time, when it gets warmer and everything is in bloom. This time of year is a little depressing because winter is not far behind.



  4. Carly says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 am · Link

    I’ve always lived in New York and Fall has always been my favorite season! I love the cooler weather, change of clothes, the leaves … I get a huge rush this time of year!



  5. Liza says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am · Link

    I love both fall and spring, although my allergies really don’t like either. I love when it is cool enough to leave my windows open and not run the heat or the air. It’s been in the low 80’s during the day and the 50’s or 60’s at night over the past week and it’s been wonderful. I’m ready to the highs to be in the 70’s and the lows in the 50’s everyday.



  6. ev says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 am · Link

    I love Autumn, closely followed by Spring. The extreme cold and heat I could live without but since I also get fall and spring, I live with them.

    I have been planning on where I am going to go hiking to take pictures this year.

    We had our annual Chowder Fest this weekend and hubby’s pic ended up in the paper. Thank god they didn’t put me in too. :yikes:



  7. Julie Leto says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am · Link

    This Florida girl fades when there is no sun. I need sunlight! I even have a lamp over my desk that mimics sunlight and I can’t write without it! It is getting a tad cooler here…mid eighties rather than high eighties! I love fall in Florida…a few trees change colors, but that makes no difference to me. I love a good evergreen.

    I remember going to North Carolina or Tennessee with my husband and daughter. The dh keeps pointing to this tree and that tree, stopping to take pictures, etc. I’m trying to keep my mouth shut because, okay, it’s pretty…but if you’ve seen one orange, red, gold tree, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Finally, my daughter…all of five…says, “Dad, it’s just a tree.” Clearly, we’re not easily impressed. :giggle:

    Now, give me a broad ocean vista and you’ve got me staring for hours! I don’t care what the weather is…but I prefer slight warmth.



  8. Alannah says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 am · Link

    :rotfl1: Julie pretty much summed me up too! I mean, to a T!

    I live in Coastal NC so we don’t have the extreme changes of season like in the mountains. We do have a few trees that change colors but its not anything spectacular like in the mountains.

    I do like the cooler weather though. Today it’s supposed to be in the upper 70’s so I can open the windows and not have to run the A/C. And the sky always seems bluer to me in the fall. Maybe it’s just clearer because the humidity is lower and we don’t have the haze dulling the color.

    Hope it’s a great Monday for everyone!



  9. katie says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 am · Link

    Janelle…just wait…we may get SNOW (people in the pnw can’t drive in rain or snow, lol). We live in a wind tunnel…so I don’t really like October, especially when I wait for the buses…I remember the first year we moved here (we moved down from the Seattle area, so not far) I had to get a warmer coat and I told hubby, ‘This was a bad idea”..I froze to death waiting for the bus.

    I love fall because fall means boys are back in school and back in the routine (and no 90 degree heat!). Plus, I get to start cooking all of the yummy food I love to cook (too hot to cook in the summer and I am tired in the Spring…).

    :yikes:



  10. Tyne says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 am · Link

    I LOVE the spring. I love seeing everything in bloom and the vibrancy that it brings. Fall is probably a close second. I am a very visual person so the depth of colors that the fall and spring bring really strike a chord with me. Plus in the fall there is so much to do. I love going apple picking or pumpkin carving. :pumpkin: And halloween is just about the most fun a person can have-kid or adult. :arrr:

    When I was kid summer was my favorite season because it meant the end of school and non-stop fun. But now that I am a little older, I find my love of summer waning because even though it is fun, it isn’t really as soothing as the other seasons. :meditate:

    The one season i will always hate, no matter how pretty people think it is, is WINTER. The absolute worse season period. I HATE the cold and dreariness of it.:cursing: And I always seem to have the most work to do during the winter months, and for some reason that darn season goes on FOREVER! I swear in New York it is winter for six months. :wtf:



  11. Patty L. says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am · Link

    SUMMER!!!! I love the heat, blue skies with puffy clouds, visits to the ocean, lying by the pool and flip flops. I like spring because it leads to summer and fall has football, of course that is fall’s only redeeming quality.



  12. Cher says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am · Link

    I am a Fall and Winter person. I love cool, crisp days and the changing leaves in Fall and icy, snowy, sleety Winter days and nights.

    Have a terrific day,

    Cher :snoopy:



  13. Susanna Carr says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 am · Link

    The Fall! It’s always been my favorite because I like the cool weather, the harvest, and the changing colors.



  14. Janelle says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 am · Link

    I just took our dog for her daily morning walk, and it’s so beautiful out! Cool and crisp and the air smells so clean. Ahhhh! :flower4you:



  15. Donna M says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 pm · Link

    Fall is my favorite time of year. It is now officially fall!! :winking: Here in this area there is a lot of fall color, the grape vines are beautiful as are a lot of other trees, harvest & crush is on, there is this wonderful smell in the air that is only in the fall, I love it all!! Summer is to hot, the cooler weather is wonderful although we will probably have another heat wave or two!! That is just the way it is here. We need rain, can’t wait for that first really good rain!! Janelle, being a native Oregonian, although southern Oregon, I have to say it is a wonderful state! Enjoy!



  16. Brenda M says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:06 pm · Link

    I love Spring with all the new growth and new life. It makes me feel alive again and it is lighter out later I love that. Fall is okay I love the colors but that is it, because I know winter is coming around the corner and we usually don’t have much Fall. I live in Nebraska and we have long winters. Yuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I usually get depressed when fall comes because I get so freaked out about winter.



  17. Michele says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm · Link

    Janelle get yourself a good umbrella the rainy season is on it’s way when my family moved there years ago I was going into the 6th grade and I remember people telling me that Oregonians don’t tan the rust. and when the rain moves in so do the gray skies wait till the roofs start growing moss some look like lawns on top of the house.
    My favorite time of year here in Florida is fall/winter because it cools off.



  18. Elisa V says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm · Link

    I love the fall weather. Cool temperatures. Though I grew up in Mass and i love the fall tree colors, can’t wait to see it again. Here in Maryland the trees change in November. However we are in the low 80s now no humidity… I prefer no humidity. :flower4you:



  19. Patricia W says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm · Link

    Definitely Fall. I always loved back to school, the colors of autumn, anticipating the holidays. I think I enjoyed coming down off the hot temps of summer than warming up from the frigid temps of winter in New York.

    No Fall here in FL (still mid 90s) but I remember it well.



  20. Colleen says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm · Link

    I :heart1: the Fall… Colors changing, cooler temps, Halloween, etc.



  21. Debbie says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm · Link

    I live in Vegas and there are no seasons either. I do not like winter though. I do not do well with out the bright sunlight. I really need my sun be it 125 degrees or howver you have to can it. :)

    I really do love to drive up to Utah to see the leave change.

    I can not imagine living where that white stuff falls. :mrgreen: We have mountains a mere 45 minites away that will cure me whenever I long for snow.

    Have a super Monday!



  22. Silver J. says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm · Link

    When I lived in Colorado, I loved Autumn and Winter. But I grew up here in Oklahoma. We definitely have four seasons. Summers are hot and humid – soooo not my thing. Spring, while lovely and fragrant brings thunderstorms and tornadoes. Winter? Cold and damp or cold and dry with occasional snow but more likely ice. That leaves Autumn. I love Autumn. The humidity drops and the cool air has a crispness to it, like biting into a tart Golden Delicious apple. The sky is a blue that can blind you and the sunsets are glorious splatters of watercolors – salmon, orange, pink, magenta, maroon, blue, lapis, pearl… I love having my windows open to catch the breeze. Fall is Friday night high school football, and Saturday afternoon college games. Fall is high school softball (our daughter was a catcher). Fall is invigorating after the torpid doldrums of summer. Uhm…yeah. I :heart1: Autumn.



  23. Tina Martinesi says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 1:38 pm · Link

    I live in NY and :heart1: having 4 seasons. I’m always ready for the change but fall is my favorite. I love the colors, the crisp cool air, the start of football season, snuggly sweaters, apple & pumpkin picking. I even love the change of the foods we eat, in the summer its lighter foods and salads but the fall brings stews & soups and baking cookies and pies.
    Fall brings out the “nester” in me. I enjoy staying home and snuggling with hubby :oops: :roll:



  24. Ardie says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm · Link

    Today I am officialy in mourning. :boohoo: Summer has come to an end. Now I have to wait for another 9 months for my favorite time of the year. Lots of sunshine, late nights, outdoor grilling, picnics and everything that makes summer fun.



  25. Leslie says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm · Link

    Janelle, I am right there with you! After 15 years in Florida, I had honestly forgotten just how much I adore autumn. Since being back up here, it has hands-down become my favorite season. So beautiful!



  26. Karin says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 3:37 pm · Link

    Did you know that Colorado gets the most days of sun out of all 50 states? So, that means that even when it’s freezing cold outside, the sun is shining – one of the many reasons I absolutely love living in Colorado.

    As for my favorite season, it’s definitely winter. I love the snow and the cold, especially when it’s one of those freezing cold days where the sun is shining down and making everything crisp and refreshing.



  27. Karin says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm · Link

    Okay, well, it seems that data about Colorado getting the most days of sun might be slightly outdated. I got curious about that after I typed it up and from what I can find, Florida edges Colorado by a few days. And a lot of it depends on the definition of ‘a day of sun’. Either way, it’s still extremely sunny in Colorado, so even with the change in the seasons, there’s always plenty of sunshine to keep people happy. :)



  28. Estella says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm · Link

    I am a native Oregonian and I love the Fall, The leaves changing color, putting the garden to bed for the winter, and Football!



  29. Jane says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm · Link

    I love autumn. Most of the leaves are still green. I can’t wait for them to change into red, yellow and orange. I love the comfortable weather.



  30. erin says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm · Link

    Spring in New York is my favorite season!! Flowers just blooming, leaves fresh anand green on the trees, its like a new start and the future is yours to create.



  31. JOYE says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm · Link

    I live in the Phoenix area and we get alot of sunny days during the year. In the summer we hope for a monsoon storm so that we mght get some rain. We have two srasons- under 100 degrees and hot and over 100 degrees and hotter.
    Did you Coloradoans know that the lowest elevation in Colorado is still higher than the eastern seaborn states?



  32. Karin says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm · Link

    lol JOYE. I love your description of Phoenix weather. I’ve only ever been there to drive through and it was extremely :hothot: since it was July.

    I did know that about the elevation of Colorado. I think elevation could also be why it always seems sunny, even when it’s cloudy. :)



  33. cherylann says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm · Link

    I live in Connecticut so we also have 4 seasons I like the weather we are having now and I like Spring. I don’t like the summer to HOT UGH



  34. Diana says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 pm · Link

    No doubt about it, my favorite season is summer because that’s when I’m on summer break from work. I love that time of year.



  35. Cas says:
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     · September 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 pm · Link

    I love fall…but it never lasts long enough. Old Man Winter usually says hello by Halloween (snow is not uncommon).

    I also love in spring when the big tractors start turning over the soil. Nothing smells as wonderful as freshly overturned earth after a long winter.



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