I love fall.  The weather is glorious with it's cool nights and mornings and bright sunny days.  Wearing jeans and sweaters, I want to be outside all day long.  I love going for long on the trails in the parks.  I enjoy visiting apple orchards and pumpkin patches.

Fall is for slowing down and enjoying the weather before winter comes.

Every fall I spend a lot of time in the kitchen putting food by.  Canning salsa and tomatoes, freezing corn and peppers and basil.  Making apple butter and applesauce.

The one thing that happens nearly every fall is I take a break from running.   I don't plan this.  It just happens.  All of my energy and desire to run just goes away with the summer sun.  I savor each fall.  I love the slowing down.  I love preparing for winter.

Then fall, with all of its busyness and holidays passes, and suddenly it's the New Year and I'm ready to hit the treadmill again.

This fall though I better keep running because there is a special race on October 20th.  It's to benefit my niece Naomi who has Battens Disease.  All money raised will be given to Batten's Disease research fund.  This is one disease though there is no cure now there could be one day.  Not a lot of money is raised to research such a rare disease.  But for those with loved one affected with the disease, it's so important.  Though Naomi may never benefit from this research our hope is that future generations won't have to suffer the devastation that this disease brings.

Here is a link to my sister's blog, Loving Naomi Kathleen where she and her husband write about their life with Naomi.

At the bottom of this page are links to both the Beating Battens race and a jewelry sale.  Please consider donating.  Or you could join us in the run if you can.  It's in Virginia.  Or if you can't come to Virginia or don't like running, you could buy some lovely jewelry.

Link to the race page:

http://www.beatingbatten5k.com/index.html

Link to the jewelry sale:

http://www.stelladot.com/ts/zgoi5

Thanks so much!