The Senses of Fall

Those of us who live in the northeast are enjoying the first oppressively hot day since mid-July, when temperatures soared into the 90s everyday it seemed for three weeks. Today, summer is making its last stand, as it will be in the high 60s by week's end.

For those of us who love the summer, we know it will be months before we see the likes of this again. Yes, I know other parts of the country experienced this early September heat since late last week, but as I look at the map, it seems autumn is beginning to make its trek eastward now.

Which gives us pause to think about a few things.

Trees will soon begin their annual display of colorful glory. We get to see nature show that even at the end of a cycle, there is beauty all around us.

Changing colors bring about cooling temps. Cooling temps allow for tastes not enjoyed in the heat of summer, nor since last year: cider, spiked or not, pumpkin pie and ale, mashed turnips and squash, roasted corn, Halloween candies, sweet potato casserole, candied apples, and apple butter or pie.

Friday nights and Saturdays, we watch our kids play the games of autumn: soccer, football, lacrosse. We cheer them on, along with the cheerleaders,  going to pep rallies, listening to the school band, playing hard as they might, to motivate our heroes to victory.

As we march through October and into November, we see the first frosts, on the lawn or car window in the morning, the pumpkin, the leaves on the ground. Sometimes, in the northern tier, we may even get an early winter snowfall. Right about mid-November, we look forward to something once called "Indian Summer", where the daytime temp reaches 65 degrees, to remind us that warm weather will return again soon.

And finally, the holiday that celebrates the harvest of our earth, bringing an end to the season of The Fall and the beginning of the brightest, warmest season of all, is upon us. It is celebrated with a parade in the morning, past the "World's Largest Department Store", with colorful balloons and floats, ending with an appearance of the Jolly Old Elf himself.

In the afternoon this holiday is celebrated with the passing of the pigskin and the eating of the feast which cooked since early in the morning, filling your home with aromas not usually enjoyed on a weekly or monthly basis. The evening is capped off by hot coffee or chocolate, delicious liqueurs and scrumptious desserts.

And later that night or early the day after, we pile into our cars, hit the highways and rush through the stores for the special bargains, not otherwise enjoyed the rest of the year.

That, my friends, is Autumn, the season which is really upon us, for us to appreciate and treasure.

So say goodbye to summer for another year. It most assuredly will return, sooner than we think.