FALL IS HERE and New York City is right on the verge of a burst of natural beauty. I used to be a summer's-my-favorite-season kind of gal, but since I ditched my air conditioner and youthful wardrobe of year's past, I'm a very solid AUTUMN-OR-BUST lady.
There are three things that I love about the fall: THE LEAVES, THE BAKED GOODIES, and THE FOOTBALL. And when I look at what people are blogging about lately, Good Gourd, I'm not alone.
1. THE LEAVES.
Our bloggers have some fall-leaf fever. Kim has some very nice shots of her dog, Ellie (left) in the leaves. Artist Molly Hashimoto paints the beauty of fall in Washington -- and even spots an otter!
Jill is on a roll with her fall snaps, and so is the Country Sampler Quilt Shop! Hawthorne Street has the Brooklyn fall happenings and even highlights a special Brooklyn Botanic Garden event -- ideal for leaf-lovers like me. But, you know, leaves aren't enough: it doesn't feel like autumn unless you've got some pumpkins.
But it's been so nice out lately, wouldn't you be jealous of Team Red Wheel's view from their seat on two wheels (below)? I am.

2. THE BAKED GOODIES.
WARNING: Do not read this section if you haven't had lunch. I've already made that mistake today. For everyone else, grab some notecards and a pencil to nab these tasty recipes.
Current Mom has a tasty recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares! April from Looking Around knows that "when a girl needs a cookie...she makes a batch!" Rosy and Tart have perfected the art of the *EXTREME COOKIE CLOSEUP* (image right) and their Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk recipe doesn't look too shabby, either!
Uhm, Baked French Toast Casserole?! Sophia, we truly appreciate your sentiments! And, last but not least, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting (pic below). Anything with Maple Syrup = BIG WIN for me.

3. THE FOOTBALL.
Okay, I'll admit that I'm a huge Baltimore Ravens fan (despite their loss yesterday that both Al Nye the Lawyer Guy and Clearing Out The Clutter noticed), but I usually don't watch the games. They just make me so ANGRY when they lose! So it's a good thing there are other ways to love football...without actually watching it.

SILLY BANDZ. If you don't know what they are by now, please do due diligence with some googling. And did you know that Under Armor makes them now? Animal Bracelets Blog has proof.
Sometimes I just can't shake some images from my mind. And sometimes I blame the ever-clever Sports Hernia.
If you're a Fantasy Geek, you best not be missing the weekly Fantasy roundups from Geekweek, especially since Week 6 seemed to be a wild one. (If you were wondering, or if you're from Six Apart and want to talk trash, no, I am not playing Fantasy Football this year. My pride is still sore from the terrible losses that Hurlee's Swirlee's faced in our Baseball league.)

And can I just say that A Glam Slam is my new favorite TypePad blog?!? They're covering some satiable fashion tidbits from every sport around, and thanks to them, I've found my new favorite Ravens hat.
I know, I know, there are a ton of autumnal blog posts I'm missing, so please share your own in the comments! Happy Fall, everyone!