By MARY CAROL GARRITY, Scripps Howard News Service

I have the dubious honor of living in a historic river town that has been dubbed one of the most haunted places in the Midwest. But even though my neighborhood is Spook Central, the only thing that goes bump in the night at my house is Dan, getting up to raid the refrigerator.

Bring on the pumpkins, grab the gourds and fluff up the faux fall foliage. It's time to pay homage to autumn by showcasing the beauty and splendor of the season in your home's decor.

Maybe it's the crisp air that energizes me or the beauty of the fall trees that inspires me, but when autumn hits, I can't wait to entertain. While I'm eager to fill my home with friends this time of year, I'm equally as excited to spend a Sunday afternoon creating a memorable dining-room display that will delight my guests.

Those of us who call the Midwest home joke that there are two reasons we love the nation's heartland: fall and spring. This time of year, the weather is so sublime that it's easy to forget about our freezing winters and blazing summers.

So many of us obsess about our front entry but forget about its sister space, the landing at the top of the stairs or down the bedroom hallway, hidden from a visitor's view.

Soon the ever-shortening days will be cooler, signaling one of my favorite times of the year: couch-potato season. On a cold fall night, I like nothing better than to curl up on the sofa to watch a favorite show or bury my nose in a good book.

Since my idea of cooking dinner is tossing a bag of popcorn in the microwave and popping open a can of diet soda, you'll never spot me in the grocery store with a cart brimming over with ingredients for a gourmet meal. But you will catch me in the produce aisle, hunting for the greenest apples, the fattest lemons or the fullest artichokes. Trust me; they aren't for consumption.

Interior decorating is not a field rife with major technological breakthroughs. But in recent years, science has rocked my design world with one single, revolutionizing advancement: the fake candle.

The arrival of warm weather puts me in the mood to throw a summer soiree. I've been so busy lately that I haven't entertained. Now I'm ready to dust off my screened porch, sweep out the back courtyard and fill it with friends. Here are a few tips I'll be following as I entertain this summer. Perhaps they will help inspire you, too.SWEET SIMPLICITY

Q: I'm on the hunt for a piece of furniture I can use to display special family heirlooms. What do you recommend?