I can't help but smile when I read William Cullen Bryant's quote about this time of year being a lovely smile.
Bookended by Labor Day and the holiday season, Autumn is here on September 22. The turning of the season, although we scarcely notice in Southern California. At times I struggle to handle end of summer feelings gracefully. There is such comfort in summertime. Yoko Ono said, “Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.”
There is an exuberance as the season shifts and longer days give way to the crispness of shorter ones. No longer the lazy hazy days of summer, but an antsy-ness for action.
An energy. Excitement. Ebullience.
For me, A-U-T-U-M-N spells nothing but good stuff!
A is for Abundance, A feeling of being Alive. A sense of Action as schools are in session and we hustle towards the holidays and the end of yet another year.
A is also for Art.
Many Artists painted Autumn scenes—Monet, Klimt, Hopper, Courbet, and Vincent to name a few. My favorite, looking forward to Thanksgiving, is this Emil Carlsen painter’s Thanksgiving Still Life in The San Diego Museum of Art’s collection of American Art. It may first seem like a couple of simple things—turkeys, a ruddy pottery water jug, a little copper pitcher, and a handful of onions. A closer look reveals Carlsen’s mastery and the items are presented with greatness and rare beauty.
U is for a bit of Upheaval as summer brights give way to rich hues of fall. An unknown writer penned, “The trees are about to show how lovely it is to let things go.” Al fresco dining Under the stars is replaced by cozy movie nights in front of the TV (no problem if it’s the Umpteenth time you’ve watched it), and the scents of roses gardens diminish replaced by the Unmistakable woodsy, smoky, spicy smells of the season.
Also, the Ultimate opportunity for a nature hike.
T is for Touchdown signaling football season and I'm happy to report that both Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech Red Raider!) and Travis Kelce (along with Taylor) are on my family fantasy football team.
Temperatures gradually drop. The Time change occurs most places on November 3 TV gets good again. Trick or Treat fun ahead. Wild Turkey swilling in the snifter in front of a smoldering fire perhaps.
... and Tantalizing colors of the falling leaves. According to The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, there's a popular belief that "as many falling leaves as can be caught in the hand in autumn, so many happy months will follow."
Unfathomable—the amount of wool, tartan, houndstooth, cashmere, and furry stuff that fills store windows and internet shopping sites. Ubiquitous. Sweater weather Unbelievable because currently, the temperature in my world is high 70’s, and will likely stay that way through October. Many Thanksgivings here – dress code shorts. But there are those of you bracing for Unpredictable weather thinking storm windows and big pots of chili with an Umbrella and perhaps some long Underwear at hand!
M is for Mmmmm—the satisfied Murmur we make repeatedly in the autumn season over pumpkin spice lattes, apple pies, salted caramel (oh wait…that’s good any season), and comfort food. Time for large and lavish Meals where friends and family gather.
And Music. Classics like Ella’s “Autumn in New York,” and the Melancholy “Autumn Leaves,” (either Frank’s or Nat King Cole’s version), and The Mamas and Papas “California Dreamin’.” Me, I’m partial to the soft brushstrokes of Neil Young’s voice singing the most romantic “Harvest Moon.”
“We know where the music's playin'Let's go out and feel the night…”
And M is of course for Moon. Hope you are suitably awed by one of autumn’s full Moons—October 17, November 15, December 15—this year.
N is for Nesting. In Autumn, I experience a deep pull toward home. O’odman poet, O’felia Zepeda, wrote, “Home is a place that has the right feel, the right smell, the right sense of coolness when you touch the walls.”
The fireplace setting the cozy interior aglow. Surrounded by art and music, good books. I could recommend a couple!
Family and Neighbors nearby. There is great comfort in Nestling into the safe space I call home during these, the ember months, the last four months of the year.
Also, a Nostalgia. A sentimental yearning for things past.
And Next. A wonder about what comes next.
How do you spell A-U-T-U-M-N?
Fun way to play with words and give us all the touches of Autumn that are meaningful to you. Thank you.