Autumn

Motorists on Club Road in Fountain Head are seeing the leaves change from green to yellow and red as fall is in full swing in Washington County.

With a colorful backdrop of fall foliage, Don Beachley, left, putts on the 13th green at Fountain Head Country Club as Dick Harrison and Frank LaGrutta look on Monday afternoon.

andrear@herald-mail.com Mums, gourds, maize and fall foliage are popular fodder for autumn home decorating - but thinking outside the pumpkin can result in dazzling harvest-season decor. "There's a lot of different ways you can go," says Denny Warrenfeltz, owner of Rooster Vane Gardens in Funkstown. For a lush, less traditional look, he suggests decorating with roses in rich bronze, gold and red tones, safflowers, hypericum berries, protea flowers, spray orchids in autumn colors and such fruits as pomegranates, persimmons and sickle pears.

Some people say that fall -- or autumn, if you like -- is their favorite time of year. "The air is so crisp," they gush. "Crisp" -- yes -- for about a week. Then it just gets cold. "But it's good sweater weather," they'll offer. Right. It means I go from wearing one sweater to two -- with a coat I'll have to wear until May. For me, anything under 75 degrees is cold. So why don't I move to Florida? It's the old cliché: Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

CASCADE - There was something in the air at Pen Mar Park on Sunday. It was a sunny afternoon and despite the 1,400-foot altitude, the air was warm enough for the dancers in the pavilion to work up a good sweat as they kicked and swirled to big-band tunes. Still, each time the Music Makers Orchestra lowered its instruments, there it was, unmistakably: autumn. And with autumn comes the end of the Pen Mar Park summer Sunday concert series. What's a Lindy Hopper to do? "We go into this kind of hibernation mode," said Steve Springer of Hagers-town, a local swing-dance enthusiast and instructor.

Kicking up a rainbow of fall leaves is one of the great joys of autumn. Red, orange, yellow, purple and brown salute the season in leaves that trickle from trees and crunch under our feet. But why do they fall? And why do they change color? Leaves fall because trees don't need them anymore. Leaves make food for trees from water, sunshine and carbon dioxide. It's called photosynthesis. The chemical, chlorophyll, makes it happen and gives leaves their usual green color. As temperatures drop, trees realize they have enough food stores to last the winter.

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake is a sweet, crunchy treat to bake when apple-picking time produces its bounty of fruit. The cake, set with sliced apples overlaid with a brown-sugar and cinnamon topping, is among 175 recipes in "Pillsbury: Best Muffins and Quick Breads" (Clarkson Potter, $19.95; Buy at Amazon.com ). [cont. from lifestyle ] Cooks heading for the kitchen with baking in mind as fall crisps the air will find lots of delectable ideas in the book: muffins, biscuits, scones, popovers and doughnuts to start with, followed by quick breads, coffee cakes, butters and spreads.

Hiking a trail on a crisp autumn day. Picnicking beneath a crimson colored tree. Gathering with friends over a pot of hot-spiced cider. Setting off with a toddler in search of the prized pumpkin of the patch. Autumn brings pleasures all its own. Whether we are heading up the back-to-school PTA meeting or hosting a houseful of Thanksgiving guests, women feel better when we feel "put together. " But as the days grow shorter and the weather cooler, autumn likewise presents fashion challenges of its own. How do we smoothly transition from summer fabrics and colors to autumn?

While Autumn Phillips enjoys the competition of figure skating, this time it's all for show. Spectators can witness Autumn's skills on the ice as she and other figure skaters put on an exhibition Saturday during Winterfest 2006. Even though no trophy is up for grabs, Autumn, 16, of Waynesboro, Pa., is excited about her two solos, including her first self-choreographed solo. "I'm just pretty excited. I've got a lot of people coming to watch me," says Autumn, who has qualified to attend her second State Games of America competition for young amateur skaters in Colorado Springs, Colo.

WASHINGTON COUNTY erinc@herald-mail.com This might be the winter to invest in a new snow shovel or think about buying a snow blower, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Jon Mabry. The combination of below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation should mean a significant increase in snowfall, he said. The first few days of winter, which begins today, might be deceiving, he said. Moderate temperatures are expected through Christmas Day, Mabry said.

A woman accused of selling a lethal dose of heroin to a man who died in March at her home was indicted by a Berkeley County grand jury Thursday on single counts of felony murder and delivery of heroin. The state's case against Autumn T. Blaine, 37, of 176 Phillips Lane in Bunker Hill, W.Va., had been pending in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Blaine, who is incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail, was initially charged with one count of felony murder in the overdose death of Paul Dwayne Burcham, 32, also of Bunker Hill, according to court documents.

Within 20 minutes of showing up at The Valley Mall for a job fair Friday, Hagerstown resident Wilma Ammons, 26, scored a future interview with an insurance company. “I'm very encouraged by what I've seen,” Ammons said. The Autumn Job Fair featured more than 30 vendors spread throughout the mall. Education, government, nonprofit and private sector opportunities filled the area along with interested people. Hagerstown resident Valerie Zehringer graduated from Kaplan University in March and was looking at opportunities.

My last couple of gardens have been such epic fails that this year, I didn't even try. The decision to take a gardening sabbatical was not an easy on. My youngest children enjoy turning the soil, sowing the seeds, monitoring the growth and - most of all - reaping the harvest. But we were away quite a bit the last couple of summers. We didn't arrange for a friend to tend to watering and most of the crops were burned dry by the sun. Funny how the good dies off, but the weeds live on. What little harvest there was was practically overcome by undesirable growth.

Autumn officially ushered in on Sept. 22, which means that it's time to have some fall fun with your family. But go beyond jumping into a pile of raked leaves, carving pumpkins or making candied apples. Here are some ideas to get you started. Things to do with apples:  Buy them at the orchard. Several orchards around Smithsburg have roadside stands with fresh apples in dozens of varieties. One is Lewis Orchards, which has apples and pears for sale for $8 to $18 for a half-bushel.

The Country Western Dance Association will hold “A Taste of Autumn Dance” Saturday, Sept. 22, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Maugansville Ruritan building on Maugans Avenue. The event will include line dancing for singles and couples. The public is invited. Admission costs $5 for members and $7 for nonmembers. For more imformation, send and email to tdavis1856@yahoo.com .

Autumn Paige Jones, infant daughter of Amy L. Higgins Jones and Daniel L. Jones, passed away Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. She was born in Hagerstown, Md., on Sept. 6, 2012. In addition to her parents, she is survived by her sister, Brooke Esther Jones, at home; maternal grandparents, Joyce and Timothy Higgins of Clear Spring; paternal grandparents, Gary and Vickie Jones of Hagerstown; paternal great-grandparents, Gerald Jones of Boonsboro and the late Esther Jones; Uncle Allen and Ashley Higgins of Needmore, Pa.; Aunt Rayanna Staley and girls, Aunt Gretta, Chris Slaughter and children; and other extended family members.

A preliminary hearing Wednesday for a woman accused of selling a lethal dose of heroin to a man who died after using the drug was rescheduled after her defense attorney asked for more time to prepare for the case.  Autumn T. Blaine, 37, of 176 Phillips Lane in Bunker Hill, W.Va., is charged with one count of felony murder in the overdose death of Paul Dwayne Burcham, 32, also of Bunker Hill. Defense attorney Kevin D. Mills, who had filed a motion for a continuance of the hearing before Wednesday's hearing, said Wednesday afternoon that Blaine's preliminary hearing was rescheduled for Sept.

A Berkeley County woman is accused of selling a lethal dose of heroin to a man who died March 29 at her home after using the drug while she was there, according to court records. Autumn Theresa Blaine, of 176 Phillips Lane, Bunker Hill, W.Va., was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on one count of felony murder by Berkeley County Magistrate Joan V. Bragg, according to court documents. Blaine, 37, is being held without bond in Eastern Regional Jail, according to court records. Paul Dwayne Burcham, 32, of Bunker Hill was found slumped over the toilet in the master bedroom of Blaine's home by authorities on March 29, according to court documents.

On Oct. 29, Autumn Grabill, 7, held her birthday party at Mikie's Ice Cream and Green Cow Restaurant in Greencastle, Pa. Autumn invited many family members and friends. Autumn received 18 presents, all of which she donated to the U.S. Marines' Toys for Tots program. Tom Hazlett, Toys for Tots chairman of the Landis McCleaf Detachment, Marine Corps League in Franklin County, Pa., donated the toys to the Antietam Detachment, Marine Corps League in Washington County. The toys were eventually donated to needy children in Washington County.