I am kind of a snob about fall. Every year around the end of September, I go on a tirade every few days about how in New England, fall came when school started and you could actually wear your new fall clothes instead of wearing shorts for another month and the leaves would change color gradually and have time to stay on the trees, whereas around here, you blink and miss the fall color before you have to rake it all up and what is it about the mid-Atlantic and their short falls when it’s the best season ever and then we just get plunked right down into winter right away and there is no reason for it to be so hot right now and I hate being hot so why can’t fall just get here like it does in New England, where fall came when school started…
JG just rolls his eyes at me, tells me I have a rough life. “I know,” he says, mockingly unsympathetic. “Fall is so much better in New England and I’m sorry that you have to put up with what we have here in Pennsylvania.”
Hmph.
A part of me misses New England all the time, but in the fall, I really feel the twinge. I feel cheated out of a good, solid, cool fall in this area and even more so when I have to sweat through August, September, and even into October. I have been waiting for rusty treetops, cheerful chrysanthemums, and rattling leaf skeletons. I have been longing for brighter-than-blue blue skies, blustery gusts, and snappy morning chills. I have been straining against heat and humidity for the fresh, invigorating nip of cold air on my cheeks, the chance to inhale deeply through my nose, and the promise that — yes, and soon! — allergies will be gone for the year. I have been craving excuses to wear corduroy, my red scarf, light wool sweaters, and slippers, though not necessarily all at once. I have been eager to carve a jack-o’-lantern, decorate with miniature gourds, make a pumpkin cheesecake, and dig out my costume tiara. I have been hungry for stew, roasted chicken, bratwurst, and candy corn. I have been sniffing the air for the aroma of apples, dry leaves, bonfires, and hot chocolate. I have been ready, even if my favorite season wasn’t ready for me.
Fall has been a long time coming, but today, it is finally here and I hope it sticks around long enough for me to enjoy it properly. At the very least, JG will be spared the Rant of Mid-Atlantic Fall this weekend because I’ll be out under a saturated blue sky, crunching on leaves, and sipping apple cider. Cheers.
6 comments
Whew, I’m so with you on all of that, but especially the bit about allergies being gone. I’m sneezing my brains out this morning (a charming mental image, to be sure).
Hooray for no sneezing! The dry air helps me, too.
Firstly, I love the term rusty treetops. Perfect. I am breathing fall right now from the description.
Secondly, while I love PA’s fall season, I completely sympathize. I spent seven years in TN where the seasons are summer and winter. Hot and humid is summer (March-November) and Cold and dreary is winter (December - Feb). There are about three types of trees there and so it is never really a pretty pretty leaves changing season. The winter is cold, yet not cold enough for snow, so you just have a couple of miserable months of 35 degree temperatures. And they freak when there is the chance of snow. They shut schools down for two days last year because there was a forcast for the potential of snow.
But I love fall here. This one has been a bit freaky, but I just love going outside and breathing that air. For some reason my cube / office forced air doesn’t smell quite the same.
Oh, cube air is not the same at all! It doesn’t have that twiggy, leafy, spicy fall smell. Do they make that in a candle?
I settle for mulled cider-scented ones, which do pretty well, too.
I hope that fall is finally here, too. I regretted not wearing a jacket today!
If only fall had come to Minnesota LAST weekend! Hmph is right.
It’s a shame that people’s races were out of whack. But on the up side - jackets are so fun.
I’m ever so glad that October is behaving like October instead of like August (as it was when I ran my race last Sunday - crimey). Crisp is the word that I like to describe the ideal fall morning or evening. Now if we could have a little more red, orange and yellow foliage to add to the perpetual medium brown and light brown, and did I mention brown?…I’d be happy.
Yeah, the fall color here is more like fall brown, but I still like it. Don’t you miss those maples by the horse farm? Those were the best back home.
I love fall too, but sadly fall signals the onset of allergy season for me. When I lived in the Tristate area I never had allergies. Stupid Mid-Atlantic.
I say that last phrase at least once every three days. But it does okay most of the time.
I’m am so excited that fall has finally arrived! I was really starting to resent the tropical temperatures in October….especially since they turned the air conditioning off at school on October 1st. Thank goodness for crisp fall air and hot apple cider!
Ooh, apple cider, yes! I discovered hot cider last year at a friend’s house and I loooove it. I love apple-y products, but actually eating apples is kind of so-so to me. Weird.
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