I've spent my entire life in the American Midwest. We (usually) experience four very distinct seasons. Winters are snowy, cold and windy. Spring is often quite pleasant, but it can still be chilly, rainy, and breezy. Summers are hot and humid, usually with somewhat sporadic rainfall. The summer heat and humidity are typically not kind to my leg; I experience more swelling, which sometimes leads to more pain. But Autumn in these American mid-latitudes is (to me) simply marvelous.
Who doesn't love Autumn's colorful leaves? My parents' first home had lots of large, old trees in the backyard, which, of course, meant lots of fun in the fall. (Ok, maybe not for my Dad :-) We only lived in that house until I was about four years old, but I DO remember the leaves. As I got older, I enjoyed Fall because it meant going back to school. I loved school, I loved learning; to me, summer seemed like a waste of time and I was often bored. My favorite sport to play at school was volleyball, and that was always a Fall sport. Oh, and my birthday is in early November, so of course when you are a kid, you look forward to that every year.
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| Me, Fall 1979 |
As an adult, I've even decided that the beginning of Fall - September, early October) is my absolute favorite time of the year. The temperature starts to cool down, but you can usually still go out without a jacket. The sun is still relatively warm upon your face, but you don't feel like you're going to melt after ten minutes. I've recently discovered that I enjoy apple-picking, and this is prime time for that. And I've also recently discovered some of the wonderful Fall colors right in my 'backyard.' I currently live in Indiana. If you aren't very familiar with this state, all you really need to know is Indianapolis 500 and corn. There are corn fields literally across the street from my neighborhood. As a 'city gal' this bothered me at first, but I've learned to recognize and appreciate the beauty of the corn (and soybean) fields, especially early in the Fall.
Yep, we have a lot of farm fields in Indiana, but it's not a flat, homogeneous landscape that's common farther west in the Great Plains. We've got trees, and plenty of them. So, my favorite view of early Fall occurs when the sun is out and the sky is completely clear of clouds. The trees are still a rich, healthy shade of green and the cornstalks are a golden yellow-brown hue. I am soooo NOT an artist, but I tried to make a quick sketch. It turned out quite abstract, but the colors I wanted to capture are actually pretty accurate.
I LOVE watching my children enjoy the Fall - the leaves, apple-picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, Halloween, etc.
And finally, I think that Autumn just suits my personality more than any other season. I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person, so I always seem to be preparing for the worst, just like the plants and animals are planning for the cold, barren winter. I have a lot of days in which I just feel somewhat melancholy, not necessarily sad or depressed, but the feeling itself reminds me of an overcast rainy Fall day.
And finally, I think that Autumn just suits my personality more than any other season. I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person, so I always seem to be preparing for the worst, just like the plants and animals are planning for the cold, barren winter. I have a lot of days in which I just feel somewhat melancholy, not necessarily sad or depressed, but the feeling itself reminds me of an overcast rainy Fall day.
Ahhh. Lovely post, Emily. It's my favourite as well, for slightly different reasons and for some of the same. I actually did a post as well - so far the previous prompts replies are private, but Fall - absolutely my favourite!!
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