For many, Autumn is the favorite time of year. It’s that time when the sweaters and scarfs and boots and all the good articles of fashion and clothing come out of the closet. And drawers.
These are the many reasons that so many people love Autumn.
The cool weather kind of makes everyone feel a bit more alive. I’m not going to argue with that –I like a good hit of cool to cold air against my face when I leave the house for work in the morning.
But I’m one of those people who don’t find Autumn or Fall to be my favorite season nor do I find it to be my favorite time of year. And just as I’m politically incorrect, I’m also Autumnally Incorrect.
And I CANNOT stand pumpkin spice!! My mission is to wean all the young girls in my office from this horrid flavor into something more suitable–like Hazelnut coffee!
Autumn isn’t what it used to be. The weather has changed. I know—we get the cool weather. But it doesn’t get really cool until late October into early November.
I can remember Autumn as a child when it was downright cold in the middle of October.
Autumn meant coming home from school, doing homework and afterwards going outside to meet friends for the short time before twilight beckoned. And then being home and slipping into fuzzy slippers, pajamas and watching TV as a family before heading up to sleep in a bed covered with layers of blankets and comforters.
I can remember the distinct scent of leaves—whether piled up high in flame-colored mountains or in little hills lined like ramparts in front of the lawns. After falling from the trees and being raked, that scent was like summertime decaying. Jumping into a soft pile of leaves was one of the great feelings of Autumn. Getting up and carefully removing the stray leaves that stuck to a sweater or your hair was oftentimes routine. Finding that perfect leaf of deep crimson or bright orange or golden yellow was like finding a treasure!
I wanna do what he’s doing!
Then there was the scent of burning leaves! Quite honestly, that is one of my favorite scents of all time. And I feel bad that my own children don’t share that Autumnal memory with me. Burning leaves had been banned by the time I even had children.
And when I did become a parent, it was always a great seasonal pastime to get in the car and head out of Manhattan to North Jersey for pumpkins, cider and cider donuts!
Oona with my brother Pete at Tice’s farm in New Jersey. This was the greatest place to pick a couple of pumpkins, get some apple cider and great cider donuts!
When we moved to New Jersey, it was great to walk with the dogs to the nearby lake. It was more fun to spend weeks planning Halloween costumes as the kids changed their minds every day about what I would make for them to wear.
I was a visionary. I made these “Titanic Drowning Victims” costumes a year before the movie came out!
There was a chill and a comfort at the same time.
Rosedale Park, in Pennington, NJ, was a great place for Dorothy and Ruby to hang. Look at the love in their faces. Oh my God. I miss those girls so much. The two best dogs that ever lived. EVER!
Maybe it’s me—but this season is an extension of summer these days. The humidity lingers on. The trees in my area, the Philadelphia suburbs, are still ninety percent green. The warming of our climate seems to have delayed Fall foliage. And by the time the leaves do turn color, one good rainstorm knocks them off the trees and we are faced with the monochromatic gray of the coming winter.
That’s it. Overnight the trees seem to become bare!
I’m tired of all the cutesy giphys that have been flooding my Facebook page.
This is NOT my idea of Autumn–this is a cartoon.
I’m so incredibly tired of Pumpkin Spice! Give me a break already! Whatever happened to hot cocoa?
Why does this not surprise me? My Basset Hound, Dorothy would have had a FIELD DAY with these–I will not elaborate. Use your imagination. She was a hound!
My home is not decorated for Autumn. The Chateau is slowly preparing for my greatest time of year—Christmas!
Hopefully THIS year we will get a tree that will not be crooked! I can’t wait!
Well, maybe I’m getting a little of my Autumn on! I took the Jack-O-Lantern out of the garage this evening and checked to see if his light still worked. And—Chippy is still petrified of old Jack!
I don’t know why Chippy is so afraid of this friendly face!
I need to replace the Autumn flowers in the living room. I think I’ll go for deep crimson roses instead.
I’m pretty sure these flowers are going on their third week. Sometimes I’m disgracefully lazy. I’m just not crazy about the Autumn colored bouquets!
Luckily I can keep my rooster place mats on the dining room table.
But it saddens me when I look outside at the deck. Bonaparte cleaned all the summer stuff off. He cut the dead geraniums down. All that is left is the green leaves—the flowers could pop up one last time. It all looks so barren.
This is so sad. Bonaparte cleaned up the deck and we won’t be sitting out here for a long time!
My geraniums are all gone–but I do love the green foliage!
No more aperitifs on the deck until next May at least!
Summer and Winter. Those are my favorite seasons because I love the extremes. Truthfully, I don’t mind the extreme heat—as long as the humidity is low. And I don’t mind the extreme cold either—because I can always get bundled up when I go outside and when I’m inside, I can get cozy on the sofa under a nice warm blanket.
I like extremes. I’m not an in-betweener. And that’s how I feel about Autumn—and Spring too. They are way to in-between. They are the indecisive seasons. Seasons that can’t quite make up their minds. Autumn has nature preparing for hibernation but not ready for it yet. Spring is awaiting a rebirth of nature—and I equate it with being two weeks overdue during pregnancy—a very impatient time. You want the weather to get warmer—but it just falls short!
Thank you Christopher Stokes for making this ONE Autumnal Giphy that I actually love. It because I love the feeling of solace looking at this!
But looking on the bright side, I get to watch my favorite Halloween movies! HalloweenTown (don’t you DARE judge!), Beetlejuice, and Hocus Pocus!!!
Believe me, this Disney Chanel classic from 1998 has managed to keep me entertained for almost 20 years! Debbie Reynolds should have won an Oscar!
I”ve seen Beetlejuice so many times, I have the script memorized. I dressed up as Lydia one Halloween! Since the movie premiered in 1988, I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve seen it because I can’t count that high!
And the most epic Halloween film of all time..”Hocus Pocus”! Oh the costumes. Oh the Sanderson Sisters! I love Sarah Jessica Parker’s look in this film. If I were a fashion designer I would use her character as my muse! THIS movie was and still is Oscar worthy!
So what’s your favorite season? Are you Autumnically Incorrect as I am, or do you thrive in the warmer hued season? I need to know because I won’t sleep well if I am uninformed!
That’s right. I need a good night’s sleep. And I also need my glasses on so I can see what I’m dreaming about!
I listened to The Byrds on the way to work today and remembered just how great they were as a group!
So many memories listening to these guys!
Song Number 4: Pete Seeger wrote it in the late 1950’s, but The Byrds brought popularity to it. “Turn, Turn, Turn”..there is a time for every season–even Autumn!… XOXOXO!!
