The signs are
everywhere – no bright sunshine waking me up in the early morning; the evenings
get darker faster; clouds are everywhere, fewer cloudless skies like in the
ferocious heat of summer; schools are back in session and we have to obey the
slower traffic signs again. Foliage is
beginning to shed its bright summer dresses and wrapping itself in glorious, albeit warmer tones.
But the most
indicative signs of autumn – the stores have final summer clearance sales,
Hallowe’en items for sale, Thanksgiving napkins and paper plates and yes,
Christmas trees, Christmas decorations and Christmas lights. Everywhere you shop there is the push for the
next few holidays. A typical shopping sight
in autumn, everywhere I go.
Autumn is kind
to share her special days with other events – antique fairs, farmer’s market
days, federal holidays, the costume holiday and “almost” Thanksgiving. What a kind season she is! The autumnal equinox means “equal night”, where
daylight hours equal night time hours.
It’s almost autumn, and already folks are changing their front porch
arrangements from summer to autumn. Gone
are the red/white/blue wreaths for Memorial Day and the 4th of July
holidays. Glorious wreaths and various colored pumpkins with autumnal colors are replacing
these decorations. Brilliant oranges, mellow yellows,
deep eggplant, pale greens, and vibrant
reds, just to name a few are the highlights on wreaths, garlands, pumpkins, gourds, and baskets. And inside, my decor is changing as well.
(This is one of my traditional pumpkins used for the dining room decor every year).
I’ve started to
decorate our front porch which I love to do.
The little wagon that held the summer duck now holds various colored
gourds and is encircled with a garland of leaves (artificial, of course).
Sundays seem
autumnal with my hubby and I watching our favorite football team, exchanging
barbs with a family member in another state (cheering for another team!) over who will win the game, snacking and cheering
whenever our team is in the lead.
When the
temperature outside is still in the low 90s here in south central Texas, it’s often hard to think about the glorious
autumn weather in other parts of the country.
But once the weather fronts move across the country, and we do experience some cooler
days, I know that the triple holidays are right around the corner.
I like the
sound of “ Autumn” – it conjures a
softer, warmer sound than FALL. I've fallen a few times and had a experienced sprained ankles. Autumn flows, like a creek through a forest
of maples and pines that are dressed in hues of reds and oranges and yellows
and pastel greens. The rippling water
flows over stones that have been there
for hundreds of years.
What makes you
think of fall? Changing the wreath on
your front door? Your children or
grandchildren returning to school or college?
The clothes in the brick and mortar stores that are selling heavy winter
coats and boots? The variety of catalogs
you receive in the mail heralding the upcoming holidays?
(This is one of my favorite autumnal decorations from my sister Kathy in PA).
Time and time
again when 1 September rolls around, my thoughts and decorations will begin to
encompass my daily routine. Autumn
doesn’t begin on 23 September at our house.
Although I enjoy other activities during the day, the best part of the
late afternoon begins when the garland on the fireplace mantel and the two
wreaths on the French doors spontaneously begin to twinkle with the most
comforting, yet glorious autumnal glows.
