I can’t wait for autumn.  It’s my favorite time of the year.  Spring is nice, but I’ve always preferred fall.  Seeing the leaves change color and the weather getting cooler—that’s what I’m talkin’ about.  When September rolls around, it triggers so many warm feelings in my heart.

After such a long hot summer, I can’t wait to decorate my home with scented candles, fall wreaths, gourds, pumpkins and fresh mums.  I’ve accumulated many lovely decorations over the years and I switch them out each season.   North Georgia mountain festivals are a great place to find some unique decor.

Another thing I look forward to in autumn is a change in cooking.  All summer we grill outside, keeping the menu simple.  Salads are a staple.  But, in the fall it’s time for homemade soups and stews.  There’s nothing quite like the aroma of a pot of chili, simmering on the stove, and jalapeno cornbread in the oven–unless it’s a hot fresh apple pie!

Fall heralds the start of my favorite sports.  I’m a HUGE  fan of the Georgia Dawgs, the Florida State Seminoles and the Atlanta Falcons.  Two of my grandkids will be playing soccer and I love to go to their games, cheering them on.  Mostly, however, I’m looking forward to my Atlanta Braves making it to the playoffs in October.

We’re planning one more trip to the North Georgia Mountains this summer.  We’ll be staying for a week,  right on Fightingtown Creek which is very kid-friendly.  The whole family is going and we’re all looking forward to doing our own thing.  The grandkids love splashing, floating and fishing in the water.  My daughters and I love to play Scrabble when we’re away.  My sons-in-law, no doubt, will be watching football or enjoying the gameroom.  John and I will try out the kayaks and go on another wild adventure.  There’s plenty of room for everybody  and we enjoy eating our meals  outside at the picnic table on the large shady deck.    So, I’m willing to suffer through a little more summer heat until after our vacation.  But then, I’ll be expecting some cooler weather.

This has not been a good week for me.   It started last Friday, right before the 4th of July weekend.  Both our home phone and our computer went out.  Then my 92 year-old Mother, who has Alzheimer’s, suffered a fall.  Luckily, she didn’t break anything, but every time she falls (which happens often), her Assisted Living Home has to call 911 to pick her up off the floor.  The next day she had a TIA (mini stroke–which also happens often) and I spent the weekend with her, trying to justify not sending her to the hospital.  I didn’t want to put her thru unnecessary testing and stress, when sleep was all she needed.  It’s not easy becoming the “parent” to your parent.

Our family Independence Day celebration was postponed until Monday, and that was a good thing.  But, bright and early Tuesday morning, all kinds of monstrously loud beeping equipment came rolling down our street to resurface the main drag of our large suburban subdivision.  Our property lies adjacent to that main drag, so we got all the noise, the dust and the smell of asphalt.  I would’ve left home, but I had to wait on the Cable Guy to show up and restore my services.  Of course he didn’t come that day, as scheduled.  After many calls to Comcast, working thru the maze of computerized questions and being put on hold for eternity, I was finally rewarded by a service call last night.  It took him about 10 minutes to replace a part & fix our problem.  Hallelujah!  Six days without a computer or a phone and I was a basket case.

Today, as I was stuck in rush hour traffic, the weatherman said we broke a temperature record by reaching 101 degrees.  It was hot indeed.  My trusty Explorer’s gauge said it was 103, and I tend to believe it more than some official thermometer at the Atlanta Airport.

All I can think of is how nice it would be in the mountains right now.  It’s at least 10-15 degrees cooler there, and I could be floating down the river, escaping all the problems of the city.  Just yesterday my husband, John, was counting the days until our next vacation .  We leave in  two weeks.  We’re staying at a new cabin to us–Sunset River, managed by Rainbow Cabins.  It’s right on the Toccoa River and it comes with kayaks and tubes.  I’ll tell you all about it when we get back.  In the meantime, I’ll suffer thru the heat, the noise and the traffic–dreaming of our North Georgia Mountains get-away.

Do you know where the story about Easter with baskets and bunnies originated?  My children had a book from Time Life that gave background on why certain traditions come with certain holidays and I always found the story about the Easter baskets, bunnies and eggs very interesting.

Here is how the story goes and I am paraphrasing my understanding of the story:

It had been a long, hard, winter and the children wanted to go outside and play but it was just too cold and wet.  The animials that lived near these children loved to watch the children play outside and anxiously awaited the arrival of the weather that would allow them to come out again.  The animals peered from underneath the foilage on a daily basis as the kids  ran and opened their front door hoping to find weather that allowed them to go out and play again.  When the forest animals saw the children continually being discouaged that they would EVER get to play outside again in warm weather. …….this is where the animals did something that “obviously” has lived on for years!

The birds, bunnies, and squirrels knew that spring weather was not far away and they needed to convey that to the children.  The small animals dug down under the snow and gathered beautiful green grass; the robins offered their beautiful blue eggs to lay ever so gently in the gathered grass,;the squirrels worked diligently on gathering fresh twigs that were easy to bend and form into a perfect basket with which to place the green grass and colored eggs……now all that was left was the animal to deliver the signs of  the warm ,spring weather that was to come.  After much chatter among the animal community it was decided that the bunny would be the deliverer.  He was soft, gentle and had such a kind face and all the animals agreed if the children looked out and saw him——–they would not be frightened.  So one night as the children slept, the furry, little bunny hopped up on to the childrens front porch and placed the beautiful basket that had been created by the animals of the forest.  What a delight to all when the children awakened the next morning and opened their front door to find the kindest of gifts from the forest animals.  When the children saw the beautiful basket they knew that the warm weather was not far away due to the basket and its contents.  This became an event that the children looked forward to every year as it gave them the promise of spring and the warm weather it ushers in.

Spring in the North Georgia Mountains is turly an awakening of nature at its best.  The rolling, multi-layered, dark green mountains lining the rivers lakes and streams, with the morning mist rising up to meet the bright yellow sun allows us those moments to realize that this earth really is a gift.  What a blessing to behold the spring canvas of the Lords creation.  A visit to a cabin along a stretch of North Georgia’s prestine waters is like finding a gift right outside your door every morning.  There is something so calming and interesting about watching and listening to the mountain air and water———–not to mention all the critters that are busy, busy, busy preparing for spring at its best.  People from all over the United States make their way to this little piece of heaven in the spring.  There are festivals, fairs and events all spring that appeal to just about everyone.

Rainbow Cabins is a North Georgia mountain cabin rental company specializing in water front rental cabins only located on the beautiful waters of the North Georgia Mountains.  Our rental cabins are conveniently located to the surrounding mountain towns of Blue Ridge and McCaysville, GA,  just a couple hours north of Atlanta Georgia.  These rental cabins are fully furnished and perfect for a couples getaway or a large family gathering.  All of the rental cabins come with central AC/heat, outdoor fire pits , gas grills, tubes, cable or satellite tv, linens, towels and fully furnished kitchens.  Most of our rental cabins offer 2 kayaks and some sport game rooms that rival Dave and Buster’s.  For your next North Georgia Mountain cabin rental getaway—-contact www.Rainbow Cabins.com—-you just may discover your next vacation “pot of gold” at the rainbow’s end.

Sunset River is absolutely gorgeous and has become a favorite getaway spot for our family.  The quality time spent at Sunset River has brought our family closer together.  We play horseshoes in the front yard, go kayaking down the Toccoa, relax in the hottub, roast marshmallows and tell scary stories around the fire.  The best part about the time we spend together at Sunset River is that we don’t have an agenda.  There are no appointments or ballgames to attend.  We don’t have to spend money to have a good time or to entertain.  We can play hide and go seek or tag in the front yard and be reminded that the simplicities of life are what matter at the end of the day.  My husband and I were inspired to renew our wedding vows on the river in front of the cabin.  We could think of no other place where God’s presence is more evident.  Our family considers Sunset River a blessing and look forward to going back in the very near future!  Come see for yourself—you won’t be disappointed!

Rainbow Cabins is a North Georgia mountain cabin rental company specializing in rental cabins only located on the beautiful waters of the North Georgia Mountains.  Our rental cabins are conveniently located to the surrounding mountain towns of Blue Ridge and McCaysville, GA, just a couple hours north of Atlanta Georgia.  These rental cabins are fully furnished and perfect for a couples getaway or a large family gathering.  All of the rental cabins come with central AC/heat, outdoor firepits, gas grills, tubes, cable or satellite tv, linens, towels and fully furnished kitchens.  Most of our rental cabins offer 2 kayaks and some sport game rooms that rival Dave and Buster’s.  For your next North Georgia Mountain cabin rental getaway—-contact www.Rainbow Cabins.com—-you just may discover your next vacation “pot of gold” at the rainbow’s end .