
Short conversation between strangers heard all over Seattle for the last two weeks:Stranger 1: "Can you BELIEVE it?!"Stranger 2: "No, I can't believe it, but I sure love it!"Stranger 1: "Obviously, this is not going to last..."Stranger 2: "Yeah. We both know what's headed our way. Still, pretty neat, huh?"Stranger 1" "I can't BELIEVE it..." ... and so on...These two strangers are discussing le topic du jour: La météo (the weather.)
Oui, les amis, Seattle has been experiencing clear blue skies, warm weather and glorious sunsets for weeks now. And not a drop of rain.Have I mentioned I can't BELIEVE it!?School children have to spend their days locked up in a classroom while pining for long bike rides and picnics at the park... Pauvres petits. Their moms may be a bit luckier (at least the ones who are not at the office all day,) and I have been meeting many on the neighborhood trail as I walk the Yellow Dog.Still, the chill in the air and the fog hovering over the valley in the early morning confirm what everyone already knows: Summer is on the way out. This is late September. L'automne est là. Fall is here. Canadian geese are all but gone already, and have been replaced by the ubiquitous and loud crows, cawing rhythmically: "Fall is here, fall is here..."Yesterday, I had to know. I had to see it with my own eyes. It was 78 F outside. I was wearing shorts and sandals. I headed for everyone's favorite "happy place," Molbaks, a nursery, gift shop and restaurant all in one. If summer was still here, then surely, the folks at Molbaks would know. There would be colorful sets of patio furniture in the gift shop; containers overflowing with daisies and sedums outside; row after row of whimsical garden ornaments in the greenhouses; and everywhere, fragrant and cheerful blooms beckoning visitors.I was right. The main greenhouse offered a brilliant display of color as far as the eye could see...



As I got closer, I noticed something was wrong... There were no marigolds, nasturtiums, petunias, or daisies. Instead, I found pansies; chrysanthemums (they call them mums here;) ornamental kale and flowering cabbages. Fall plants. Autumn colors, I realized.
L'automne est là. Fall is here.
There were two options. I could embrace fall, or I could dig a hole in the backyard and hibernate for at least six months during Monsoon season (an easy feat for me, you realize, since I would only need a few jars of Nutella to survive...)
I chose Option 1. That's the new Moi. "La Zen French Girl."


As I walked through Molbaks, though, there were things I was definitely NOT ready for... Christmas lights and tinsel, anyone?

The only tree ornaments I could bear to look at:
the Nautical-themed collection

Cute, but darn... too early for these little critters!
Finally, I found it. The best section in the whole store. These guys led me in the right direction...

Halloween! Halloween is in the fall. How could I forget?


Everything was there for the perfect Halloween celebration... Il y avait des sorcières (there were witches...)













A bientôt.
A special "Merci" to Molbaks. As I always say, "Si Molbaks n'existait pas, il faudrait l'inventer!" (if Molbaks did not exist, someone would have to invent it!)
All photos by French Girl in SeattlePlease do not use, reproduce, or Pin without permission.