What do you do when you find out your city government has overspent by millions of dollars and is now going to raise your utility bill in a feeble attempt to balance the budget? You save your outrage until the state auditor’s report is finished and instead rejoice in the glorious fall season.

Start your dose of “up” by enjoying autumn leaves that have turned beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. Visit the mountains, as I did, if you can’t wait for the view at home.

A warning, though. Trying to hit the peak of the fall foliage season in the highlands is tricky business. Forecasters may or may not predict the best weekend, and also the colors vary according to elevation. On Beech Mountain in North Carolina this past weekend, the first in October, the peak was close.

Here’s a roadside view on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Blowing Rock and Boone, NC. Who cares whether the leaves are at their showiest? Plenty pretty for me as I rolled along the twists and turns of this special highway.

I stopped to take a picture of the humble goldenrod, growing everywhere along the Park Way roadside. Nothing says fall to me more than the presence of this wildflower.

A fall trip to the mountains wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the apple stand. They’re not cheap, but these apples seem healthier and taste better to me than the grocery-store ones with the waxy coatings. My favorite this year is the Golden Delicious variety, which, crazy as it sounds, have a hint of pear flavor.

Back home, I celebrate the October fall holiday, Halloween, with a few decorations I pull out of the attic each year. A tree limb I once picked up in the yard is adorned with that orange stretchable spider-web stuff and lit with a strand of orange lights. My husband and I plug up the Halloween “tree” every night while we watch TV or read.

The fireplace mantel gets a dose of easy fall decorating, too. After Halloween, I’ll remove spooky items and leave the fake fall foliage up through Thanksgiving. Yes, my living room might be a little tacky for some tastes, but I like to think it’s cheerful.

Speaking of cheerful, zinnias are the flowers that keep producing long after other summer bloomers are gone. I picked this arrangement yesterday, and there are more where these came from. (The harvest-gold phone is no longer connected, in case you’re wondering. The grandchildren have enjoyed playing with it over the years.)

Whenever I feel, as the poet said, “The world is too much with us,” I read this Bible verse I have on a laminated card on my desk.

Whatever is lovely: fall foliage, apples straight from the orchard, zinnias still blooming.

And toddler twin granddaughters in their pink Target raincoats, the ones Grandma Patsy bought them.