When we lived in that other state down south, by mid-August the impatiens and other summer flowers showed signs of stress and fatigue.  This year after the extreme temperatures and dry spell we've had here, our plants are saying avoir and begging to be put out of their misery.  It's time for me to pull the sorry-looking coreopsis and phlox ........ and get ready for the fall asters and mums.  For awhile I did enjoy living far enough south where I never had to push my shopping cart through slush, yet we did scrape windshields off and on during some of winter's coldest weeks.  Florida was a welcomed change thirty years ago when I moved from Massachusetts where even as a little girl, I was never warm........ fingers and toes always cold and my spirit quietly depressed when the leaves gently left the trees by October not to be seen again until the new green appeared late April and early May.  I lived for May through August, waiting to shed soggy mittens and bulky layers for some sunny happy days of freedom  running barefoot and wearing shorts.  My mother loved the crisp fall days that brought her winter.  She would throw open the windows allowing the chilled air to refresh her spirit.  Yesterday, unexpectedly, the feeling of fall sparked a joy in me.  We visited Mercier's Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA to see if they were early apple picking yet and found the parking lot full of customers.  Workers were packing Beni Shogun, Honey Crisp, Jonathan, Gala, and Ginger Gold (I think).  We bought a bag of Beni Shogun, sweet with a crisp flesh (and I love the name) and a bag of Honey Crisp.  Then I did some hard cider sampling.  Never tasted hard cider before...............interesting, but I'd much rather have my wines.  Recently, a few morning temperatures dipped to 52, a delightful taste of our beautiful Appalachian fall still to come.  I'm looking forward to throwing open the windows allowing the chilled air to refresh my spirit, too.