Welcome to All the Fall Things

 Yes, that is a misquoted blink-182 song title.

No, I will not follow all the lyrics in this post.

Fall is still technically a couple of weeks away. However, that hasn't stopped me from excitedly starting my celebration of the best season (don't argue with me on this - I'll ignore you). This past week, it was in the high 90s, nearly 100 degrees F (or around 28 - 30 degrees C). That did not stop me from picking up a pumpkin spice cold brew from Starbucks...or a bag of witches brew KitKat bars from Target.

But it was my trip to Trader Joe's where I finally caved and just bought all the fall (and pumpkin) flavored goodness. I admit that I have no shame. Though, I will need self control to not eat everything in one sitting. Pacing myself is key - especially since a lot of this fall themed merchandise is either sold out by mid-October or replaced with Thanksgiving or (ugh!) Christmas nonsense before Halloween has passed.

Today, I added to my fall festivities by going apple picking with a friend. We each left with a huge bag of apples and a quart of apple cider (the non-alcoholic verity). I also grabbed a six pack of apple cider donuts...and may have already eaten three.

Aren't apple blossoms so pretty?

Don't judge me, you know you'd do the same.

And you know what, I don't feel bad about starting my fall celebrations. Despite the heat, the leaves are already starting to change. Plus, this was the last week for peaches at the farmer's market. Once the peaches are done for the year, it's officially fall.

Peaches are the unofficial fruit of summer. Apples are the fruit of fall. (Please note: oranges are for winter and berries are for Spring). This is just my personal feelings on seasonal fruit, technically blue berries, blackberries, and raspberries can be gotten locally throughout summer in my area. 

I'm super excited to try my hand at butternut squash soup this year. My first batch of apple sauce will likely be made tomorrow night (or Tuesday, I'm not picky).

And let's not forget EVERYTHING PUMPKIN!

This is from a Kusama exhibit

I promise to not go too overboard this year (you can't see my fingers crossed behind my back....not at all).

My friends and I are already planning on going to a few farms for corn mazes, hay rides, and other fall goodness. No haunted houses for me, but I will appreciate other people's creepy decorations. I'm still not a fan of jump scares. 

My first big horror movie of the season was the 2021 Resident Evil movie and while it wasn't anything spectacular (critics panned it), you can tell it was made as a labor of love. There are some scenes straight out of the first two games. They even get a Jill's sandwiches joke in.

What are you excited about for fall? Is it the cooler weather? The pumpkin flavored nonsense? Apple cider donuts? Do you go out and visit farms or celebrate Mabon? Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Any haunted houses to recommend (sorry I'm too chicken)? Please leave a comment below.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome To Spooky Season Recommendations Part 1 Of ?

 It's officially Spooky Season!

Okay - technically fall starts in roughly two week, but pumpkin spice non-sense has hit the shelves and I am eating it up (literally and figuratively).

So far, I've tried the Dunkin Donuts and Goldfish brand mashup of pumpkin spice donut goldfish (they are unsurprisingly addictive) and the Special K pumpkin spice cereal (it's good, has a nice pop of spice). Both are good, but you don't need to go out of your way to pick them up (unlike the amazing pumpkin spice mini ice cream cones from Trader Joe's - those are worth every penny).

Non-pumpkin spice related flavored non-sense, my local giant has a lovely honey crisp flavored seltzer water. I normally don't go for apple flavored things, but this one I do enjoy picking up at this time of year. It's light, not overly artificial apple flavored, and disappears by the end of September.  

Sadly, I have yet to see my favorite baked chips hit the shelves yet this year. These are the ghost baked chips Trader Joe's has between September and October. If you see these, stock up, they also go fast. Trader Joe's also hasn't yet had their pumpkin spice mini ice cream cones yet, so I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. 

Other reoccurring fall themed foods that are back on the market and I can recommend are the pumpkin spice coffee blends - though they vary by brand, apple cider (local is best), and apple butter (seriously, shop local, it's so much better than store brand). I'm also fond of the pumpkin spice tea by Harney & Sons Fine Tea. It's an herbal blend with rooibos and pumpkin pie spices (no actual pumpkin included). It's great for cold nights by a roaring fire. 

Alright, I've written enough about the food and drinks that have hit the shelves. What about the media? Are there any good spooky TV shows or movies to enjoy my time? What about books or graphic novels?

Well...

I've recently become obsessed with the recently released Netflix series Dead End: Paranormal Park. Netflix is currently in my bad books for some of their recent choices, but they at least have kept their animation line up (unlike certain other platforms - see my last post for salty details). This series came out in June and takes place in a theme park that might be described as 1 part Dollywood, 2 parts Disneyland on steriods. The main characters consist of a transgender boy named Barney, his talking dog Pugsley (who happens to be voiced by the actor who played Beetlejuice on Broadway), an autistic Pakistani-American girl named Norma, and the demon Courtney. 

This show is amazing - like Gravity Falls levels of amazing. 

The first season only has ten episodes, but we're left on the finale with an open ending that allows for a season 2 (and there had better be a season 2 Netflix). It checks all of my boxes for spooky season animated shows including good comedy, excellent representation, an intriguing mystery, and really well written complex characters. I love it.

Other spooky season animated shows to recommend on Netflix include Hollow (I've only seen the first season though), Castlevania (I've watched through season 2), and Hilda (which is less spooky and more fun adventures with a dash of mythical...and trolls).

Sadly, Disney has yet to put House of Mouse or House of Villains on Disney+, but they have released the trailer for Hocus Pocus 2. No I haven't seen it, I'm in denial that it will exist in a couple of months.

A movie I'm actually excited for (based on the trailer) is The Invitation, which looks like a modern take on "Dracula". Will I see it in theaters? Probably not, but I will stream it when I have the opportunity.

As for books, I'm currently in the middle of "A History of Fear" which will be released in December. I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and am determined to finish and review it soon. I'm about half way through and very confused. Is it spooky? Parts are, but overall it's more confusing. I do plan on ready "The Only Good Indians" and "Mexican Gothic" for the season - which I can recommend through reputation.

As the season goes on, I hope to have a few more recommendations for you guys. I plan on seeing a "Sleepy Hollow" ballet in the middle of October and might have a review in the works (not that I really know much about ballet, but I love Sleepy Hollow). Additionally, I watched Perfect Blue which deserves it's own blog post simply because it is an intense experience. It's not really spooky season themed, but it fits into the season by virtue of it being such a trip.

If you have any Spooky Season suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I enjoy this season and I hope you guys do to.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.