Autumn at The Attic with M. A. McCuen

Indulging in our favorite months of the year — the golden leaves, the crisp air, the food, the smells, the comforting memories and sources of warmth and coziness — we open our own doors and welcome you into our homes, as members of The Attic On Eighth share their favorite methods, items, and rituals to welcome the season. In this edition, Attic writer M. A. McCuen embraces an off-beat season in the Midwest.

All photos courtesy of M. A. McCuen.

I have lots of nostalgia for autumns of my past. For Michigan fall, ripe with fresh apples and the most vibrantly colored leaves. For fall in college at Notre Dame; gorgeous old academic buildings, leaf-scattered quads, and the dizzying chaos of college football. For fall in Ireland, visiting haunted manors, ancient abbeys, and listening to somber songs of the sea. With so many happy autumnal memories, I could easily be resentful to be marooned in the middle of the great plains for the third fall in a row. But to be honest, I am nothing but delighted to be exactly where I am.

Autumn in Nebraska is a gift that has taken some warming to, but once realized, is a treasure. It’s afternoons driving through the prairies, taking in the rolling hills, golden with the harvest. It’s Saturday mornings at the farmer’s market, hunting through local produce and wares. It’s Friday nights, watching my students play football under the lights, gobbling up concession stand popcorn. It’s pursuing tomes at used bookstores, drinking seasonal lattes at local coffee shops, and enjoying the simple bliss of watching the colors change.

HOME

I’ve recently fallen in love with the Nebraska-based, female-driven candle company Wax Buffalo. Their scents are truly perfection- never overbearing or sickly sweet- they are subtle and sultry. I am smitten with most of their fall scents, but I’ve been burning Golden Hour this season. This ginger-centric candle has notes of lemongrass, cedar, and cardamom which makes it both refreshing and cozy. 

FOOD

I’m quite basic when it comes to autumnal cooking — essentially, pumpkin everything! I got a little overwhelmed at Trader Joe’s in September and purchased pumpkin cookies, pumpkin butter, pumpkin Greek yogurt, pumpkin coffee beans, pumpkin muffin mix, and even pumpkin ravioli with autumn alfredo. 

Besides my weakness for all things pumpkin, I love to greet autumn with a big pot of soup. Making a cozy pot of chicken and dumplings or tortellini and kale is one of my favorite ways to warm up on a chilly afternoon or to heal from the inevitable back-to-school cold. I like to make a lot to share with friends (and others who have caught the back-to-school cold). I always accompany my soup with fresh, crusty bread.

READING

I love having a long cozy read to peruse throughout the season, reading fifty or so pages of it between other books, to stretch out the reading process as long as possible. Last autumn, I read Diana Gabaldron’s Outlander, which was simply ideal. Nothing puts you in the fall mood like the highlands and crumbling castles. This year, I’m slowly reading through The Secret History by Donna Tartt. An Attic favorite that’s been on my list for years, I started it briefly over the summer, but decided to put it down and save for the fall. Indeed, the mysterious and dark mood fits the season perfectly. 

My classroom is also a perfect place to celebrate spooky season through literature. In my British literature class, we are currently reading Macbeth. Between witches and murder, it’s the ideal October book to teach. As we are exploring American Romanticism in my American lit class, we are indulging in a plethora of haunting short stories by Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe. My students picked out The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas as a book club read and I absolutely loved it. It’s a YA thriller with Riverdale vibes and a feminist twist. I couldn’t put it down!

ADVENTURE

It’s not fall without a few adventures. I love the opportunity to get out of the city and explore the countryside during autumn. Taking long walks in the woods is one of my personal traditions. I head to nearby hiking trails and spend a few hours taking in the fall colors. It’s a perfect way to get some fresh air, see some nature, and enjoy the scant amount of good weather we get in Omaha. I’m also a huge fan of apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Nothing is more autumnal to me than grabbing some fresh pressed cider and warm donuts, while picking out your pumpkin. The Nebraska plains make for a very pastoral harvest landscape to take in. The nearby Vala’s Pumpkin Patch consistently ranks as one of the best in the country and it’s one of my favorite places to visit in the fall.

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M. A. McCuen is a secondary English literature teacher based in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally from Michigan, she has a BA in English and French from University of Notre Dame and a M.Ed from Creighton University. Having previously lived in France and Ireland, she spends her scant free time plotting ways to travel the world on her teachers salary.