The Waning Days of Summer

Credit: mytouristbus

Change is on the way. I see it on some trees which have already begun to shed their leaves;  I feel it, as the temperatures have moderated since the dog days of summer; but most of all I sense it. There’s a feeling this time of year -- that one thing is ending and another beginning.

I rode to school each day on a bus that looked similar to this one. Credit: mytouristbus.com

I relate these feelings to earlier school days. Funny, how after so many years have passed, this sense of transition time is still with me. But I remember so well how it was this time of year. Ending were the carefree days of summer; about to begin were the structured days of school.

It was always fun planning for Back to School, especially decisions related to clothes and books. I looked forward to the plaid wool skirts, the sweater sets, the suede shoes. And the colors! I so loved the fall colors, and my wardrobe seemed always to consist of burnt orange, olive green and gold items.

It may be hard to believe, but when I was in high school we really dressed up for  football games. I chose this picture because I had a tan wool suit similar to this one, complete with a fur collar. I recall that I wore it to the Homecoming Football Game the year I was a senior. I also wore the leather gloves, but not a hat as pictured here. Oh yes, and our outfit was not complete without a large mum corsage in the seasonal color of orange. Wow, how times have changed. Credit: Wikipedia

After junior high, when the books were provided free by the state, high school brought the responsibility of purchasing our own textbooks. For me that was so much fun. I loved the smell and feel of a new textbook that was my very own and not a used one. I also loved shopping at Anderson’s Book Store for the paperback classics assigned for the year, the pens and pencils and the notebooks. In those days, book bags were unheard of so we just lugged those heavy textbooks around in our arms.

Credit: two images above, irishtimes.com

And the weather! Oh, how I have always loved autumn weather: the crisp sound of leaves crunching under my feet, the smell of wood fires, the sound of hunters in the distance.  Weiner roasts down by the pond, muscadine hunting expeditions, football games, county fairs – these were the things to look forward to in autumn.

Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) is a member of the grape family. It is native to much of North America and grows wild in roadsides and forests. It has been extensively cultivated since the 16th century. Its natural range is the southern United States. Muscadines are well adapted to a warm and humid climate; they need fewer chilling hours than better known varieties and they thrive on summer heat. They are so sweet and good and have a unique taste, different from grapes. Muscadine jelly or jam is a real treat, but the best way to eat them is out-of-hand, straight from the vine.

Soon, fires will be started in the fireplace to knock out the chill of an autumn evening, darkness will descend at 6 p.m. and it’ll be time to pull out the warm socks and cozy blankets.

Claus has cut and stacked firewood to dry and season before winter. The wood is from trees, some of which were dead, in my father's old and for years neglected orchard.  This wood from once thriving apple, peach, pear and nectarine trees will not only warm us, but also bring back memories of that good fruit we once ate.

How about you? Are you beginning to feel the change of the seasons where you live? What are your memories of autumn?