We woke to heavy rain on Saturday morning. It lulled us back to sleep so we had a late start to the morning. The chill in the air made us feel like having a big breakfast so I cut oranges, fried ham and flipped eggs. We turned on the TV and ate on the couch, and drank a couple pots of tea. We cleaned up and then went about our regular Saturday morning chores. The rain stopped by late afternoon, and I had a glorious drive to the theatre in the sunshine. It seemed like leaves had turned colours overnight and the wind was blowing them all over the road. The sight of the colourful trees against the bright blue sky was breath-taking. I really savoured my drive.
Autumn really struck me when I left the theatre after our show. The air was crisp and tinged with that quintessential autumnal scent of wood smoke, as people finally give into the the chill in the air. I stood by the door and pulled on my jacket. I looked up into the dark starry sky. There wasn’t any frost on my car but it felt like it was coming. I got into my car and started to drive home. As I turned east I was greeted by a full harvest moon. It was so big and luminous that I wanted to stop and revel in its glory. But of course, I didn’t, even though I really wanted to. Instead as I drove I looked for it and it always reappeared. It led me home.
This is my favourite time of year. It’s such a beautiful time, especially here with the temperate rainforest that surrounds us. The maple trees are spectacular right now. But Fall is about more than just beauty. It is the end of summer but it’s also a beginning. For children, and parents, and teachers, it’s the beginning of a new school year. A time of anticipation and excitement, of all the possibilities that a new beginning has. A beginning that requires new shoes, new clothes, new pencils and notebooks. When I was little I remember how that felt, to put on those new shoes after a summer of being barefoot, carrying new supplies to a new classroom with a new teacher. When I was that “new” teacher I couldn’t sleep the night before the first day. I would go over and over my plans, hoping that everything was ready. And it always was, but that didn’t allow the sleep to come.
Autumn is a funny time of year weather-wise. It’s cold when you wake up but then it warms up, sometimes too much. Here on the coast or on Vancouver Island, mornings are often shrouded in mist or fog. There is chill in the air that requires a sweatshirt, sweater or light jacket. But by noon, the sun appears and you need the sunglasses you couldn’t wear in the morning. And that sweatshirt, sweater or jacket ends up somewhere other than on your body. When I was teaching elementary school, parents would show up regularly on Friday afternoons in September and early October to pick up a week’s worth of sweatshirts and jackets that their children had worn to school but didn’t need for the trip home. Now that I’m home all day, I fall into the same pattern. I pull on a sweater when I come downstairs in the morning but throw it somewhere as the day warms up. At the end of the day I try to remember to find it and take it back upstairs.
Fall also heralds the new crop of apples. There is nothing better than the first bite of a crisp, new apple. Nowadays fall also means pumpkin-flavoured everything. I haven’t bought into that trend but I do love me some pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.
I know many people who spend the Fall preparing for the coming winter; buying wood, splitting and stacking it, getting in supplies for their horses or cows, harvesting the last of the garden’s bounty and preparing the soil for next year. The shorter days give them a sense of urgency. For me, living here in the city, my preparations are minimal. I waterproof my boots, make sure my umbrellas are handy and I dig out my socks and long pants. We’ll put the contents of our flowerpots into our green bin and put the patio furniture cushions in the garage. Before the end of October I’ll make an appointment to get the winter tires put on my Bug. Around that time Dale will turn on the furnace, unless I pester him to do it sooner!
But for now I’ll revel in the sights, scents and tastes of Autumn.
