Anticipating Autumn

September 1.....wow!  The year is just chugging right along, isn't it?!?!?! 

As we approach the changing of seasons, I pulled out this piece that I wrote last year.  It was right at the start of the Autumn, when we had just experienced one of those perfect crisp Autumn days we all dream about, and I was waxing poetic.  Even though it is still hot as Hades here in Texas, I thought I would share it again ~

Ever notice how many people claim Autumn as their favorite season? Why is that? Well, after a beautiful day such as the Panhandle experienced yesterday, the answer is fairly obvious...

Cool, crisp mornings and evenings, with the occasional whisk of woodfire smoke adding a tang reminiscent of childhood;

Brilliant golden afternoons when the angle of the sun makes your heart beat a bit faster while simultaneously tempting you to slow your pace and lift your face towards it in worship;

Trees attempting to hold onto their shimmering leaves of various shades of red, orange and gold, only to lose their grasp on a few here and there in the mild breeze, creating a dazzling carpet of color on lawns;

Porches and front steps decked out in bales of hay, cornstalks and squatty orange pumpkins brighten even the most humble of homes.

The Beauty of Fall is enough to lull one into recalling the simpler days of childhood, when those Indian Summer days were a sort of salvation after returning to school in September. Oh, what a wondrous thing it was to escape the stuffy classroom and run home, only to slip into sneakers and jeans, maybe even shorts, and gallop outside to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with neighborhood playmates. Riding bikes, playing in the undeveloped wooded area at the edge of the neighborhood, sneaking a handful of cookies from the jar for friends when Mom wasn't looking....running free until summoned home for dinner as twilight approached. It truly was a magical time, when the world was a different place, and it lives on in my memory. These days of Autumn coax those memories out of the corners of my mind, just as they do for so many people, and the sense of nostalgia only intensifies the beauty of the season.

Perhaps that is why so many of us wrap our favorite warm wooly sweaters tighter in the morning's chill, lift our faces to the waning sun in late afternoon to relish its golden glow, and take an extra moment to breathe deeply in the crisp evening air. The physical sensations beckon us back to a simpler time in life when we were safe and loved, creating a feeling of security and warmth.

So, long live the golden days of Autumn, and all the joys of life recalled in the waning days before Winter sets in. I, for one, am definitely entrenched in the Fan Club of Fall!

Are you ready for some cooler weather??? 

What are your favorite memories of this time of year as a child?

When do you decorate for the season?  September 1?  After Labor Day?

Hope you have a blessed day!

Jane