I am one of those people that like the change of seasons. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter all have their own unique charms and idiosynchrocies. As one season takes a break for nine months, the next season slides in to do its thing for the next three months. Of the four of these lifelong friends however, I confess that I have always been in love with Autumn.
The Cooler Temps. The sunshine and warmth of Summer are nice but for the most part I just barely tolerate it when the heat gets humid and sticky. Ninety degree weather is perfect for some but for me it gets old after a while. When that first snap of cooler Autumn weather arrives, it always quickens the beat of my heart. The brisk air of Autumn fits me like a glove. There is no need to break out the sweaters and coats. I just continue with my short sleeve shirts but now without getting all sweaty. The hot, sticky, humid days have gone. The cold, biting days of winter have not yet arrived. It is the time of the year to enjoy the brisk, Autumn air that makes the leaves dance.
The Leaves. To see all of those universally green leaves change to a rainbow of colors before my eyes never fails to delight me. I love evergreens but the show that the deciduous trees put on every year in Autumn is always worth the price of admission. The explosion of color before dying and dropping to the ground is sort of how I want it to go for me when my time comes — a kind of “last blast” of achievement before my body goes in the ground. Another thing I like about the leaves when they do fall to the ground is that crunchy sound that they make when you walk on them.
Autumn Holidays. Two Autumn holidays within the season that I have always enjoyed are Halloween and Thanksgiving. As a kid, Halloween was great. It was the only way to ever get such a large haul of candy. And back then, there were no snack size candy bars. We got full sizers as well as home made candy and caramel apples. Yum. Thanksgiving to me is the best holiday of the year, hands down. No gift giving…..just thanks giving. Turkey…stuffing…gravy…family…football…pumpkin pie. When we went to my maternal grandparent’s house, there was kielbasi, pierogies, golabki, ham, kapusta, barley and babka. Everybody was in a good mood. A heartfelt Thanksgiving prayer. Taking a walk or throwing around the football after dinner. The greatest holiday ever.
Pumpkins and Apple Cider. Making Jack-O-Lanterns from pumpkins right from the pumpkin patch and of course eating pumpkin pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Fresh pressed mugs of apple cider, both hot and cold, with or without spices. Usually got the cider at a roadside stand near an orchard, where we also got a basket of crunchy winesap apples.
The Houseflies and Mosquitoes Hit The Road. The universally annoying house guest and the vampire of the insect world both go bye-bye in Autumn. Halleluah! I am sure most of you have had the experience hilariously parodied on the tv show Family Guy where you have the window open for the fly to go out and he proceeds to fly everywhere around the window but out, even with you shouting “You SOB, the damn window is open right in front of you. Get out!” Likewise, getting situated in a lawn chair in the back yard in the pre-dusk evening with a cold mug of beer when the mosquito world Count Dracula and his minions decide that all parts of my body is one big juice bar. Autumn means that these irritating critters go elsewhere. Good riddance.
The Lawn Goes Into Hibernation. I actually find that I enjoy mowing the lawn during Spring and Summer. It is good exercise for my arthritic knees. I love my Ego (electric) lawn mower (highly recommended by the way). I recite enjoyable affirmations in my head while I am mowing. With all that said however, it is nice to have a break from mowing the lawn until the Spring.
The Room A/C’s Get Turned Off. I am truly grateful for the coolness that the room A/C’s bring during the Summer but the rooms sure do get nice and quiet when they go off in Autumn. Also, the electric bill goes down as well and the moderate temps mean the heating bills stay low also.
College. To be blunt, high school, for me at least, totally sucked. College however was a completely different matter. I loved my four years in college and of course, Autumn meant a new school year in September. New professors. New courses. New experiences. Another step closer to the diploma. Being on campus in the Autumn was always a great experience.
I have always been in love with Autumn. I will continue to savor however many of them I get to enjoy before my number is called.