There has been a theme for the past few weeks for me, maybe it will create a moment of synchronicity for you as well.
It’s the subject and feel of a “sense of place”. And that feeling for me creates a parallel feeling of “home”. When I’m away and get that sense of place-ness,
it feels like a heart’s truth. It’s an intention that’s felt, a thoughtful welcome, authenticity, and raw beauty that comes from an honest expression, whether that be on food or interior decor or art, or landscape.
Sense of place. Have you felt it? If you have, I bet you remember all the way it danced on your sense. Smells, textures, views, meals.
This first came up for me in conversation on the podcast – it was my favorite moment of the interview (subscribe/listen HERE to the chat with Lady and Larder owners). And now keeps twinkling about in my subconscious. I keep getting nudges about things to do that really cultivate this feeling for me and my family.
I believe it not so coincidental that Fall holds so much of this notion. Homecoming is in the Fall. The home fires begin to burn again, and the motherly gestures we once knew come back to the forefront for us, helping us weather the literal and also sniffling type of cold.
This season we’ve done some nesting and some Autumn cleaning. Amidst the chaos, we created calm. It’s the perfect way to welcome in winter soon, with less. With a clearing of the brush.
To create my own sense of place, or rather to help our home feel like home, decluttering had to happen. And with that, fresh inspiration fills the rooms with love and fall colors, with new scents and renewed spirit. Additionally, living in Southern California had us experiencing a hot summer-like Fall when all we desperately want are golden leaves and knit sweaters. And so we have to create our fall feelings.
If you’re looking to create a sense of place this Fall, look no further. Here’s my list:
- Make an autumn flower arrangement with golden, orange, and dusky purple hues.
- Clean your gardening shears and organize your potting bench.
- Order hoops, nets, and frost covers for the coming weather. My amazon storefront had a ton of options for these HERE.
- Simmer some apples on the stove for a season’s scent or bake an apple pie for after-school snacking.
- Begin to gather and dry herbs to make into cold-fighting remedies. (For a list of my top 6 home remedies, go HERE).
- Swap summer for winter clothes in the closet and donate anything you never wore.
- Make bone broth from scratch and enjoy the scent (and benefits!) all day. Get an amazing ebook all about cooking with broth HERE.
- Plant a cover crop and mulch your garden beds.
- Watch Gilmore Girls, Practical Magic, and When Harry Met Sally.
- Try three new soup recipes.
- Plant some more herbs specific to the holidays (tarragon, thyme, chives).
Each month I do two things – I come up with inspiration for every day of the month just like this in my monthly gardening membership, AND I do a tribute to the month and what’s going on in .the garden, in the fields for foraging, and in the home to celebrate the season and the unique month. All of this on the podcast. To listen to October’s go HERE. The seasons truly give us the framework for living in alignment and in the present place. The more we can savor what they have to offer, the more we can gently let go of what’s not meant for us, and deeply embrace what’s left.