Falling for Fall

Written October 2009

     There is a fall feeling in the air today. It has been raining alot for the past ten days but, mostly it has been a warm jungle rain forest type rain.  Yesterday the temperature dipped into the fifties and Fall arrived somewhere between breakfast and lunch. Turtle necks and long sleeve sweaters were pulled down from the upper regions of the closet and the transition from shorts and sandals to cords and boots began.   

     School here has been in session since the end of August when the weather is warm and the days are still long. For me, this is the  weather that reminds me of my back to school days . We always started after Labor Day and usually there was a bit of a nip in the air by the beginning of September. I remember the excitement of  new book bags and  school supplies, as well as the  the  bittersweet  end of summer feeling that found me dreading the loss of  daylight savings time. “Spring ahead” and an extra hour of daylight  had run it’s course and now  we needed to  “fall back” and lose that cherished hour of  sun.I still dread the end of daylight savings time, I resent feeling  like its bedtime before  the Oprah show is over.

     When Fall arrives I can’t get my mind off of apples. Thoughts of apple picking, apple pie, apple crisp and apple sauce drift through my head like red and yellow leaves in a New England wind. The smell, the look and the crisp  taste of a fresh  apple is to me, the herald of Autumn. As if to offer some compensation for the end of summer,the sensory delights of clove,cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar  join with the apple to carry me through the holidays and linger with me till the first buds of spring emerge.

     In the spirit of the sudden onset of the season I prepared a hearty white bean soup yesterday and today there is a warm spicy chili simmering on the stove. It is the  perfect night to put on comfortable clothes curl up in front of the television with someone you love,  share nice bottle of red wine and a bowl of chili. Tonight we will sleep well in the the crisp cool night air under our cozy comforter, yet we can never forget that we live in Texas and tomorrow may find us poolside in our swimsuits drinking margaritas and slathering on the sunblock.