Thinking about how one’s grocery list changes with the seasons. I’m sitting here adding things like kale and linguica for Caldo Verde (Green Soup,) and red kidney beans for Red Beans and Rice to the list. Apples and pears have much more appeal than watermelon and peaches these days.

Sunday dinner with friends will be Chicken Marbella instead of standard summer fare, so those ingredients will find their way onto the list as well. Drinks and appetizers might still be enjoyed out on the deck, but with darkness descending by 7 P.M., dinner will resume its cool weather location in the dining room.

Also adding my favorite root vegetables for spiralizing. Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and loose carrots are sweet and plentiful during the harvest season. Having a bowl of roasted vegetables in the refrigerator opens the door to wide range of dishes.

And no, I haven’t given up on Weight Watchers. The slow, steady weight loss continues.  In some ways, fall and winter foods are easier to manage. The constant round of drinks and appetizers and cookouts and ice cream will give way to soups and stews. Heavier food in a sense, but more satisfying in smaller amounts.

Easing into the food of fall is only one of the pleasures of the season. Love the blowing curtains that let in cool breezes, and the pinging sound of acorns hitting the deck, and the smell of pine in the air on a Daisy walk through Beebe Woods.

The heat of summer has passed; the cold of winter is still a long way off. The perfect season is here and now.