Field Notes: Fall-time Fun | How Best to Use the Warm Before the Storm

Lawd-willing, we've got maybe a fistful of toasty days before the end of the year. After that, it's gonna get all mittens and scarves up in here. Best to take good, hard advantage of whatever warmth we get until then, so take some notes. COLLECTIVELY, we enjoy any gathering that entails friendly peeps, falling leaves, sangria, pizza, and music...so Cody made one. Maryland in the background, he crafted a magic Sunday with just a few things in mind. Follow suit. It's easy.

1. Set up the Cornhole [or a less-filthy-sounding outdoor game of your choosing]. People like you without games, but they also like options. Break up the lounging with some intermittent casual tossing of a bag full of corn. The winners will enjoy the glory of victory, and the losers can pour another drink, thus making them winners, as well.

2. Pre-mix some liquid joy. For us, it was Sangria, and the joy was bountiful. We've been over this before, and at the risk of sounding like booze-hounds, we're set in our theory; a bevvy for relaxing is a gesture that many will appreciate on a fine Sabbath. It doesn't have to include alcohol, but it should be tasty. Sangria just happens to be both.

3. Demand that someone bring you food. A delivery fella brought us thin-crust pizza from Pie Hole. This was a last-minute decision, as most delivered food is, and it was one of the best decisions we've ever made. Cheese makes everyone we know salivate. Find the ingredient that your friends like, then find a way to put it into their mouths.

4. Chill the 'F' out. Ease out on the Facebooking, and the Pinteresting, and the Instagramming, and the internetting and such. Part with your futurisic, hand-held device for a few hours and make an attempt to interact with humans. You'll find them doing all the things you've seen in pictures, plus real-time talking and laughing. Try to hug one of them. Skin feels so weird in real life.