It's 39º Outside

See? I wouldn't lie to you. They're not kidding about this cold. When we drove along Lake Monona this morning, Kenzie declared, "It looks like we live in Alaska!"

It may not have been that extreme, but the fog on the water made me think that there might be some kind of Loch Ness sea creature lurking under the surface, which is certainly enough to prevent me from doing any open water triathlon training.

Sea creatures that aren't in aquariums freak me out. Watch an episode of Swamp People and you'll have a newfound fear respect for aquatic life, too. And a burning desire to go down to Louisiana and shoot squirrels while you're sitting on your front stoop.

Maybe that's just me.

But even though it's 39º here, that means...fall is coming! And you know what fall means...

1) cashmere (italics are to indicate the soft whispered tone one must use when saying this word). I'm wearing it right now. Thank you God, Italy, and J.Crew for bringing this sweater into my life.

2) Creamy Potato Carrot Soup

Okay, so I get that this soup looks like baby food. But I had potatoes and carrots that were going to go to waste, and I needed to do something with them ASAP. So this is what I made - fingerling potatoes, carrots, sauteed onions, some vegetable stock, all blended up with my fancy new immersion blender. After I blended it I stirred in some milk and a healthy portion of sharp cheddar cheese.

A baby would be lucky to eat this soup.

3) Running in shorts and long sleeves.

4) Fall-flavored beers.

I was so happy to find the Fly Dog Dogtoberfest on tap at the Tipsy Cow on Friday night. It complemented my grilled cheese splendidly. Please tell me about your favorite fall beers so I can drink them all.

5) FRI NI LI! Or Netflix in general.

"Fri Ni Li" = Friday Night Lights, pronounced "fry nigh lie" in a southern accent.

I understand that Kenz and I are way behind on this one, and that Netflix is not fall-specific, but it's much easier to cozy up on the couch under a fuzzy blanket and watch 2 3 episodes of Friday Night Lights when it's chilly and the Dillion Panthers are a better football team than your alma mater. Although, I am starting to worry that Kyle Chandler might have a permantently furrowed brow.

Happy almost fall!