Has your autumn filled up with things to finish before winter? Clean the gutters. Find the gloves. Remember which company blew out the sprinkler system.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is putting on a spectacular show outside, and we are admiring it through the windshield on our way to buy furnace filters.
This year, put a few enjoyable things on the calendar first. A fall bucket list for grown-ups doesn’t require an ambitious hiking schedule, matching flannel shirts or a photograph inside a giant decorative apple. It requires a little curiosity, a comfortable pair of shoes and perhaps someone who agrees that stopping for pie is a legitimate plan.
Visit an orchard without making it a production
You can go to an apple orchard without bringing children. You can also bring the grandchildren and enjoy being the adult who buys the treat instead of the adult responsible for locating everyone’s mittens.
Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake offers apples, bakery items and seasonal outdoor activities. Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater is another option for an orchard outing, with apples and a bakery. Check each farm’s current offerings before leaving, especially if picking your own is part of the plan. An orchard visit and an apple-picking visit aren’t always the same thing.
Choose a pumpkin with absolutely no practical purpose
Pick the lopsided one. Pick the beautiful pale one. Pick the ordinary orange pumpkin that reminds you of childhood.
There is something satisfying about choosing a seasonal decoration that doesn’t require batteries, an extension cord or an instruction manual. Whether it ends up by the front door or on the dining table, let it be a small announcement that you are participating in October.
Take a drive that includes a stop
A scenic drive is lovely. A scenic drive followed by lunch is an outing.
Head toward White Bear Lake or Stillwater, take your time and build in somewhere to get out of the car. The goal is to notice the season, not complete a route in record time.
For a longer foliage excursion, consult the Minnesota DNR’s Fall Color Finder. Conditions vary across the state, and the map provides current reports rather than asking you to rely on someone’s photograph from last October.
Have lunch when everyone else is working
One of adulthood’s underrated pleasures is a leisurely weekday lunch.
Invite the friend you keep meaning to see. Choose somewhere you can hear each other. Order something you wouldn’t bother making at home. Resist discussing appointments for the entire meal.
You are allowed to have an afternoon that produces nothing except a good conversation.
Take a walk without counting anything
No steps. No pace. No calories.
Listen to the leaves under your shoes. Notice which trees have turned and which are stubbornly holding on to summer. Stop when you find a particularly good view.
Bring a camera if you enjoy taking pictures, but spend at least part of the walk looking at the actual trees.
Bring a little fall home
Warm some cider. Make apple crisp. Put a branch of colorful leaves in a vase. Invite someone over for coffee and serve the bakery purchase on a real plate.
Seasonal pleasures don’t need to become seasonal projects.
Leave room for a repeat
A bucket list can accidentally become another collection of obligations. Choose three things you actually want to do. If one turns out to be wonderful, do it again.
For those considering Hill Farm Condominiums in North Oaks, Minnesota, these nearby outings offer a glimpse of the surrounding lifestyle. But wherever you live, the invitation is the same: enjoy Minnesota’s fall while it is here.
The furnace filters will still be available tomorrow.