DUKES FANS:
“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.”
Henry Beston
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
Jim Bishop
Fall returns this week, and as regular readers of this newsletter know, I am a big fan of seasonal transitions. Spring and Fall are my absolute favorite seasons of the year. I am blessed that in this region of the country we get them for approximately the same length of time each year. It is a repeat treat each year.
Each spring I find myself thinking, “Ahhh..this is my favorite season of the year!” And each fall I find myself saying the exact same thing. As I was walking in the neighborhood this morning and feeling the coming fall in the air, I asked myself, “How can two seasons both be my “favorite”? How can that be?” And then, while looking around at the trees, bushes, and sky while standing in the Allen Lane train station, it hit me. They both do the same soul-warming thing that pleasures me. They just do it in different ways.
Both seasons bring changes in yards and lawns and trees and woods and sky and the weather. And all of those changes come at you in ways that are hard to ignore. All you have to do is slow down, open your eyes, take a deep breath or two, and look around. What both seasons do is reward you for paying attention; for noticing the wonder and miracle of nature at work. They make it so you almost have to pay attention and notice. But they work at that in different ways.
Spring is the more dramatic one. Snow and ice melt. There are longer days and therefore more sun. There is more “day "so more light. In the springtime, things literally spring into being-colors suddenly appear all over the place, and a block or a garden or a tree or a path you didn’t much notice a week ago is suddenly one which totally captivates you a week later. You come back to it again and again as it sprouts and grows and blooms and bursts forth. Spring is showy; it struts onto the stage, marches around, beasts its chest, and almost dares you to ignore it. And you can’t.
Fall Is more quiet and more subtle. That has its own appeal and charm as well. I begin to notice the fall when the weather gets a little cooler, and I have several days in a row when I have to decide whether to wear shorts and/or to put on a jacket. Then I become aware of the subtle changes in colors that are quietly happening. The goldfinches are less brightly yellow. The plants in the garden start to lose their brightness and become duller. Some lean over as they slowly fade away. The leaves on the trees slowly begin to change. Some of them start browning and falling; walking seems to gradually be happening more and more on a blanket of leaves. Some change their colors-the oranges and yellows and reds on the maples especially add a different mix of deep colors that make looking up gradually and quietly more exciting. The night comes a little earlier, and you can see stars and the moon and a little sunlight simultaneously. The clincher for me is the way fall weather outside the house starts to affect the weather inside the house. The AC and desk fans are used much less. And then not at all. The ceiling fan speed is slower and slower until it is also no longer needed. And quietly and subtly, snuggling into and being covered by that extra blanket makes sleeping at night extra special and extra comforting. It gets harder to get up in the morning. That is when fall is fully here for me, regardless of what the calendar says. And oatmeal and chicken soup will soon follow.
So they are both truly my favorite season. They both put me in touch with what that cycle of nature is doing, and they both help me notice it, feel it deeply, and take comfort in it. I have slept with windows open and under that extra blanket for the last few days. I think I will do those same things again tonight. Happy Fall!
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