Carole’s 10 Things Tuesday has become 10 Things on the 10th, but that fell yesterday on a Three Beautiful Things day, and I figured no one would really mind if I were late to the party as long as I brought my dancing shoes, baked some snacks, and offered to refill everyone’s drinks while I was up.

So, today, on the 11th, here are ten things I enjoy about this time of year:

1. Fall color: Is it possible to see the trees turn and not feel a little bit more in love with the world? I mean, not when you’re raking, but while the leaves are still firmly attached to the branches, resplendent in their cerise, ochre, and gold? On a side note, no one can convince me New England with its achingly beautiful sugar maples doesn’t have the prettiest fall colors.
2. Apple cider doughnuts: This is one of those things I just used to take for granted. Until I moved south and finding these cinnamon-sugar covered doughnuts became so much more of a challenge. Sarah and I usually take road trips to find local ones (within 2 hours of D.C.), but this year, each of us traveled and brought them back as souvenirs.
3. Wrapping up in knitwear: I love me a colorful hat and some cozy socks. And maybe a shawlette draped loosely around my neck.
4. Coffeeneuring: I’ll be honest: I don’t love riding my bike. But I live in a city, and, honestly, sometimes it’s really just the easiest way to get around. But MG’s annual challenge makes it far more likely than not that in October and November you’ll find me on a bike both days in the weekend, pedaling on errands and quests to find hot beverages.
5. Window open, A/C off: Rudi and I routinely disagree during the summertime about what temperature the apartment ought to be and whether the window should be open or closed. But in the fall we both agree that the air conditioner no longer needs to run and that the window will stay open until neither of us can type for how cold our fingers are.
6. Plentiful holidays: My office is open on Veterans Day, so I had to work today, but every month from September through January, we get paid weekdays off. (That spring period between President’s Day and Memorial Day is a killer.)
7. Fallen leaves: I realize this is a controversial choice, and I’m not sure I’d feel as fond of them if I had to remove them from a huge amount of land. But in the city, shuffling through dry, musty leaves on the sidewalk is a very satisfying feeling.
8. Local fall fruits and veg: Fresh ginger. Quince. Broccoli. More types of squash than you can identify. Apples, both giant, juicy hybrids, and sweet, little heirlooms. Bounty at the farmers market, and you aren’t yet tired of the sameness of it all like you will be by February.
9. New tv: I like a new season of tv. You get new episodes with old friends, and get to make new ones. This fall we’re liking Pitch, Speechless, Conviction, Timeless, and Pure Genius.
10. Apple crisp: I could totally make this at other times of the year, but it just seems right in the fall.

How about you? What are you enjoying this fall?

While I am not normally a list maker (although, to be fair, my blog may suggest that claim is false), I do enjoy how productive a weekend game plan makes me feel. I like to build in lots of things I was going to do anyway and make at least half of them fun, because it is, after all, a weekend.

So here are some things I’d like to do this weekend:

• Publish an Into the Stacks post (I’d love to get caught up this month, but I’m about 40 books behind, so it may carry on into December)
• Spend time outside (Capital Weather Gang says this is our peak color weekend, so I’d like to enjoy some of it; also, it would be good to get in a Coffeeneuring bike ride or two)
• Attend Upshur Street Books’ birthday party (Sunday evening, I think)
• Return a couple books to the library (Stressful feelings make me take out all the books, and I think it would be good to give a few of them back)
• Make dough (Hopefully pie. Possibly cookie. Related note: buy more butter)
• Finish a knitting project (Any knitting project)
• Shop (There are two Christmas markets at European embassies tomorrow and my farmers market on Sunday.)
• Clear off my desk (Our holiday party is four weeks from tomorrow; we need to start cleaning)
• Write some (thank you notes, birthday cards, bad poetry, anything really)
• Do some laundry (Related: get more quarters)
• Get some sleep (There’s a whole extra hour this weekend, after all!)
• Do an hour’s worth of calling for Hillary (I really don’t actually want to do this, but I loathe and fear the idea of a Trump presidency even more than calling strangers who don’t want to be bothered, so…)

How about you? What’s on your weekend wish list?

Wishing you all a very happy Halloween!

Here are some of the things I’m hoping to do this weekend:

• Paint my nails.
• Pick up some necessities at Target with the coupon that expires tomorrow.
• Buy milk and yogurt and maybe local peanuts at the farmers market.
• Make pie dough (possibly, also a pie, if I’m feeling ambitious).
• Publish an Into the Stacks post.
• Ride my bike to some hot drink purveyors.
• Check on the garden.
• Practice with my volleyball team.
• Watch Fail Safe at the Hill Center. (They’re showing free classic, politically-themed films every Sunday this fall.)
• Do laundry.
• Shop for my Ninja Book Swap partner.
• Do laundry.
• Finish a book.
• Take five books to one of the nearby Little Free Libraries (I’m really bad at letting any but the absolute worst books leave my collection).
• Knit on a sock and a shawl.

How about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this weekend?