The mornings have undergone a transition, one not exactly new, but certainly long-awaited.  The Sun is taking advantage of the opportunity to keep her golden head under the covers a bit longer, and my eyes now open to a room struck by hues of midnight blue.  

On these mornings, I long to move slower, not in the sense that I want to stay in bed, although the draw is formidable, but that I want to slowly wiggle my toes into my slippers, put on whatever sweater I left lying on my chair the night before, and feel my way down the dark hallway and into the kitchen for something warm, rich, and comforting.  

As the kettle screams her little song, I watch the opalescent mist waft off the dew drenched grass.  I once again experience the annual feeling of weak knees and butterflies flopping their delicate wings around in my stomach - the way this body of mine has always responded to great measures of excitement.  

It is nearly Autumn and these cool mornings inspire me to spend more time in my kitchen and less time updating my Twitter.  The tweets will come, but right here, right now, in the freshness of the mornings, we should cook for ourselves and drink in the season which, more than any other, lends itself most to cozy, relaxing, mornings.  

My eyes get a bit glassy as I remember the past nineteen autumns I have spent on this earth and how, in spite of all the changes, some things have always stayed the same.  The sound of my mother's effusions over mums and pumpkins, and the ubiquitous fragrance of cinnamon and clove. 

In light of these thoughts, I will be beginning a new series here on the blog which I have entitled, The 1st Meal.  Each week I will share with you a new breakfast recipe in hopes that it will inspire all of us to enjoy some slower, more contemplative mornings.  Of course, as lovely and beneficial as the concept sounds, I realize that we do not have the time or energy to wake up early enough to make a multistep breakfast before work.  On the weekdays I never attempt anything more complex than a scrambled egg.  So, I will be sharing these recipes on Fridays with the thought that we can all begin our days well on the weekends.  We can start a pattern of slow, thoughtful living, in hopes that slower weekends will translate into sweeter weekdays.  I do not want to miss a single moment of this Autumn.  I want a "just full enough" calendar, and a constant supply of hot tea and tart cider.  

Let's begin well.  Move thoughtfully, eat slowly, and breathe deeply.  Happy Autumn. 

Sincerely,

  Pedantic Foodie