happy! equinox!

At the bus stop this morning, under a crisp blue sky, my breath announced itself in little cloud puffs on the exhale.  And so began the first day of Fall, with me pulling warm accessories from the back of my winter drawers: knitted scuffs, scarves and long checkered socks.

This is my favorite season.  This is the season of hot baths sprinkled with lavendar flowers (no more cold showers before bedtime), squash soup, apple crisps and pumpkin pies.  There is a smell of an earlier time, like the first day of school, when joy could be found by jumping in a pile of leaves.  There is a certain slant of light that brings everything into sharp relief, just to make sure that we pay attention before it all fades away.

The market is a kaleidoscope of reds, purples and oranges. Tomatoes and peppers are sold by the bushel – a concentrated scent of sunshine and earth wafts through the open market.

Photosynthesis is on vacation and trees have begun blushing before their grand entrance.  Soon they will take center stage.  A few dry leaves travel by wind down the avenue, and with a papery whisper invite other leaves to fall to the ground and join them in the dance. The slow golden waltz of the poplar trees, the carotenoid cha-cha of the maples and oaks venturing into a fiery flamenco, slowly undressing, blowing leafy kisses our way.

Soon, the sunflowers will take their last bow, corn will be left on the stalk for the crows, fields will turn to rust, potlucks will replace bbqs, knitting will substitute for gardening, soups will be the new entrée and wool socks will cover feet that long for one last walk in flip flops (these toes love their freedom but they like being warm and cozy even more).

And even though I love this season above all others, there is a general angst in me and I’m feeling it in many others around me.  With the beginning of one season comes the end of another, the shorter days are closing in on us, nature’s little deaths are mourned.  We involuntarily rebel because, let’s face it, we didn’t have much of a summer this year and we are resistant to see it go.

But there is still a warm wind that blows through once in a while, a messenger reminding us all to put summer on our calendars for next year.. there will be a repeat performance after the long winter.

And so, I welcome you Madame Autumn and I wish you all a fabulous equinox.