As Autumn nears, so the days grow shorter

Yesterday was the longest day of the year. From here on, each day will begin to grow shorter and shorter as Fall slowly creeps closer. I couldn't help but feel a little bit excited when someone reminded me of this yesterday. I love it when I can really start to notice it, when the leaves start turning red and orange, there's a chill in the air, and darkness descends before the clock strikes five. It's around this time that the autumn mood really takes hold of me. Signs of Halloween start popping up everywhere. Store fronts are lined with an assortment of pumpkins, and Halloween decorations and candy have their own aisle. I always buy a few pumpkins early just to have them around. I think I will carve a few extra this year. Maybe I'll do something totally different like paint one black on the outside so it looks extra creepy. I also plan to put up orange and purple lights all around the deck just like we do for Christmas. There are 130 days left until Halloween. I wish I could speed up time.