I love the fall. It's the time when the world gets all drowsy, preparing for a long nap of winter. I like long sleeve shirts, sweaters, crisp nights, dew on my shoes and running the defroster on the way to work in the mornings. When I was a kid, summer was my favorite time of the year. Not only was there no school, but my birthday was in the summer. Who could ask for more, right?

And really, some of my best memories are from summertime. Governor's School in Charleston, watching the sun rise on the battery in August, church league softball, youth group trips to the beach, and of course, birthdays. But the fall now is my favorite time of year. It's when things feel like they're slowing down a little, after the harried rush of forced vacations and the crush of completing summer construction projects at work, and summer renovation projects at home. And really, I guess I've realized that I'm more of a sit on the front porch watching the rain and sipping iced tea guy than I ever expected to become.

When I was a kid it was almost a ritual in autumn evenings for my parents to sit on the porch in the evenings watching the rain. I never understood the appeal, there was always something more entertaining to be done, to be doing. But now, even though our house doesn't have a porch, I can understand the attraction of sitting in a comfortable wooden rocking chair, with a glass of sweet tea sitting next to me, watching the world get washed clean.