Fall, Or Get Off Me
What's your favorite season of the year? For many people, it's summer, because that's when they get their vacation. Iced tea, t-shirts and shorts, and long days lend an air of relaxation. Spring is a lovely season, bringing new leaves and flowers, warming temperatures, not to mention young love. And winter, of course, is the harbinger of many holidays, and when there's a newly-fallen coverlet of snow, the world looks like a picture postcard.
Not many people claim fall as their favorite season.
For school children, fall is the least favorite season, dredging up images of going back to school for another endless, tedious year of learning. My birthday is in September, so that mitigated the childhood dread of fall for me somewhat, but once the celebration was over, I wasn't crazy about the rest of the season.
Now, though, I love fall. Especially since I'm back in New England. There's something special about the sun on a New England fall day. It's brighter, sharper. It reflects off the scarlet and russet leaves, the white steeples of churches, the numerous ponds and rivers, and almost seems alive. Fall glitters, it sparkles. It's so full of beauty, it's hard not to let the tears flow. Fall is perfection.
Some of you may have caught the story on the ABC News a few nights back about how the fall leaves...er...fall. Apparently, the leaves don't fall so much as they are pushed. The tree can't handle the weight of snow on all its leaves in the winter, so it shoves the leaves off in order to protect itself, in effect saying, "Get off me." In the news story, they suggested fall could more accurately be named the "Get Off Me" season of the year. That gave me a chuckle. ;-)
But--when I'm out in the beautiful New England fall, I want to soak it up, breathe it in, clutch it to me and wear it home. No way could I call fall "Get Off Me." I want it IN me! So I guess the closest I can get is, "Come On In."
How about you?
Liz
posted by Elizabeth Delisi @ 8:05 PM
4 Comments:
Fall is also my favorite season of the year. I was born in the Fall, and married in the Fall. And up here in Canada, it's really beautiful at this time of year, especially on a sunny day. The sky and the water are so blue and the maple trees turn brilliant red and yellow. Canadian Thanksgiving is Oct.9 (the second Monday in October) and that's when the colors are usually at their best.
Chris
Spring is my favorite season, but fall is a close second. Fall is the most prosperous season in the mountains. We get our most tourist during this time. The best time to see the leaves is around the last week in October.
Lee and I got married October 25th because we wanted to honeymoon in the mountains during its most beautiful time.
My story, GET OUT OR DIE!, in our upcoming anthology is set around the end of Ocotober/early November. I love fall.
The only thing I don't like about it is it means Winter is right around the corner.
Kim
Really? Just about everyone I know claims Fall as their favorite season. Especially those who live in South Florida, but not only them. This year anyway, people I've spoken to all over the country claim Fall as their favorite.
Actually, I love all the seasons. I miss all the seasons except Summer and perhaps Spring.
We've lived in South Florida for the past 20 years. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and summer activities. I love to swim, walk, bicycle, picnic, watch and play softball, ride horses, eat watermelon and fudgesicles and popsicles and go watersliding and watching 4th of July fireworks. I love all these things absolutely!
But, eternal summer can get boring. Trust me.
I would appreciate summer a whole lot more if I had those changes in season so that by the time summer rolled around again, I would be sooooo very ready for it, salivating for it.
I truly like and liked winter and fall and spring. I like to dress in warm, snugly, cozy sweaters and high boots and feel the chill nip at my nose when I'm Christmas shopping and Trick or Treating.
I long to see all the gorgeous fall leaves and pumpkin patches I hear my friends in New Hampshire, Ohio, and Wisconsin talking about.
We sort of get Spring down here, but it's in the Fall. Our new tree (one that we had to replace after Hurricane Wilma murdered our wonderful "Dude" - my son named his tree Dude - last year) is just now flowering with a profusion of yellow buds - gorgeous!
We never get winter. At least not in the 20 years I've lived here. Not one snow flake. Sometimes it gets a bit chill. That's it. I keep hoping and my closet is one quarter full of jackets.
And I have a whole heap of trouble getting into the holiday spirit for my birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, even Halloween, without chill air much less snow.
Don't get me wrong, I think palm trees are beautiful. They're lovely strung with Christmas lights. And I realize the first Christmas looked a whole lot more like this than the snow-covered fantasy land I grew up in. Still, it doesn't feel Christmassy, or even birthday-like, to me, without snow and cold weather. Especially the first few years after we moved to Florida. I was in a big depressed funk those years and drove my family crazy around the holidays. I've gotten out of that most of the way now. But what I wouldn't give for beautiful, colorful Fall leaves, and Christmas snow....
Elaine
Maybe it's just kids who don't like fall, since it means back-to-school. ;-)
I did live in central Florida for seven years and I definitely missed the four seasons. February was beautiful and the rest of the year was too hot. And you're right, Elaine, it was tough to get in the Christmas spirit when going around in short sleeves!
According to the Old Farmers Almanac (which is published just a few miles from where we live), we're going to have a snowy, white Christmas. I can't wait! And I swear I won't complain if I have to shovel the walk.
Much.
:-)
Liz
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