Autumn Leaves

Fall seems to be hitting early in Michigan this year, and here’s me, not complaining a bit. I love the autumn. I’m not sure why this is, particularly. It isn’t childhood memories of raking leaves (borrrrring) and I certainly don’t look forward to Michigan winters. So why do I find the fall one of the most invigorating, sensual times of the year, and frequently, for me, one of the most productive? Here are a few possibilities:

I really don’t like the oppressive summer heat. Lowering temperatures means not sweating all the time and I can open my windows again.

Late summer/early autumn is the time in Michigan with the most fresh fruits and vegetables available. I love that. Oooh, might be time to hit the orchard and cider mill next weekend.

The constancy of change. I seem to have a natural preference for the transition seasons of spring and fall, rather than the extremes of summer or winter. When I lived in southern California, one of the things I missed was the simple fact of change. I think it reminds me that life keeps moving on.

Start of a new academic year. I spent a lot of years of my life dealing with schools in one form or another. (Student, grad student, faculty, substitute teacher, parent, etc.) So I naturally tend to think of the autumn as the real start of a new year. Just looking at all of the school supplies in the store can make me giddy.

 

The Michigan Renaissance Festival: occurs every August-October. (This pic is from a few years ago) and is always one of the highlights of my year.

Birthdays and the lead up to Christmas: from August through December is/was crazy in my family. My mom and youngest nephew were born in August, but now that Mom’s gone and Scott lives a thousand miles away, we don’t do much for that. My dad’s birthday is this week (he’ll be 86!) and then in October is my eldest son and eldest brother. (Also my older nephew, but he lives out west, too, so we don’t get to party with him.) Halloween is a big deal at my house, and always loads of fun. November is my younger son, and was the younger of my brothers—yeah, the fall was always expensive for my parents! Followed by Thanksgiving, then of course in December comes Christmas—the biggest party of the year for someone like me who never quite grew up. So fall is busy, exciting, and full of cool stuff.

This year, the fall will hold a couple other bonuses. My second great-niece is expected to arrive in October. (And I’m sulking, because I haven’t even gotten to meet the first one yet.) Also from Oct. 7-10, I’ll be in Ohio at Romanticon, with bunches of other Ellora’s Cave readers and authors, having a blast. (The picture is from last year’s conference.) Oh—and my new family room/office is actually underway. You can check out construction pictures on my blog from last week.

Add in deadlines, book releases, and all the other ups and downs of life, and fall is a busy, happy time. And yeah, somehow, the cooler air even smells better! Now off to find that apple cider I was thinking about…