That sneaky Autumn. Playing hide-and-seek with me.
Autumn knows how much I crave it, how I long for it each year.
I long for its cozy, crisp evenings.
I long for its breezy, colorful days.
I long for its smell of simmering soup and wood smoke.
“O Autumn, O Autumn, Wherefore art thou, O Autumn?”
Autumn is really giving me the run around this year. So I decided to FIND it. Do you know where to look? Have you found it?
I looked for Autumn in the weather. It was not there.
This year my September weather has been July weather. It’s been so dag-blasted hot.
I looked for Autumn in my woods. It was not there.
No change in the color of leaves. Everything is green or brown.
I looked for Autumn at the weekend football games. It was not there.
No plaid blankets. No thermos of hot chocolate. No fuzzy scarfs in the team’s colors. Quite the opposite: the players were being careful because of the danger of heat exhaustion.
I looked for Autumn at my window. The windows are usually open time time of year to invite Autumn in. The smell of outdoor fires, the chilly breeze blowing the curtains around. Not this year. This year the air conditioner is blowing full blast. The windows are still tightly shut.
“O Autumn, O Autumn, Wherefore art thou, O Autumn?”
I continued to look for Autumn this morning and couldn’t find it anywhere.
And then that song from the musical Auntie Mame came to mind, “Haul out the holly, put up the tree before my spirit falls again…For we need a little Christmas right this very moment….“
Yes. What I need, right this very moment, is a little Autumn!
Maybe if I hauled out the few autumn decorations I have.
(That’s my pantry door and the sign above it says “PUMPKINS.” It’s a terrible picture, I know. On top of me not being able to find autumn, my camera broke. So these terrible pictures are taken with my 9 year old daughter’s cheap little camera. C’est la vie…)
Maybe if I put out some of those cute little Jack-Be-Little Pumpkins….
on my mantle
Maybe if I put out a pumpkin. And one of those wonderful smelling cinnamon brooms (that the grocery store clerk told me the cart-full of which was giving her a violent headache.)
Maybe if I came home with some winter squash to roast. Butternut. Acorn. Dumpling.
Maybe if I pick up some Apple Cider. And drink it for breakfast. And then add autumn spices to it and heat it up tonight. Spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice.
Maybe if I bought a bag of carmels.
Maybe if I put out some of my apples on display, spots and all. To look at. And eat——With the aforementioned carmels, melted.
Maybe if I soak some black beans.
Maybe if I change out my ivory curtains to the rust ones hanging in the closet.
Maybe if I buy some candy corn and mix it with peanuts.
(Tell me you’ve tried this! If you haven’t, you must. It counts for health food as there are nuts and a variety of corn in it. My mother-in-law introduced me to this combination last autumn — OH MY!)
Maybe if I put on my favorite Autumnal CD: James Taylor, October Road.
Maybe if I wear my orange blouse. Or orange suit jacket (for real, I’ve got one). Or orange socks. Or orange shoes (again, for real!)
Maybe if I look through the pictures I’ve taken for this blog of previous autumns…to a time when….
The frost was on the pumpkin….
And the hay was in the barn…..
(except that’s not hay, that’s tobacco hanging, but I had to say “hay” because of the James Taylor song, don’t you know….)
I found pictures of when the colors of the leaves were reflected in the lake
And as the leaves fell, they floated on the lake
Like little fairy ferries…
I found pictures of a time when the apples were ripe for pickin’
And when I walked in the Autumn’s Splendid Dusk
There was a picture of the time I climbed every mountain, forded every stream
Until I found my Autumn.
Welcome back, O Autumn!
O Autumn, O Autumn, I found you, my Delicious Autumn.
Autumn was in my heart all along.
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” George Eliot
Have you found Autumn this year? Where and how did you find it?
Until next time, Friends, savor the flavor of life!
Lots of love, The City Farmgirl, Rebekah
I share your love of autumn! It’s always been my favorite season, a time to finally rest from the hustle and bustle of summer and harvest. We’re 2 weeks past our first normal frost date and no frost in site (although I have my floating row covers and extra sheets ready to go save tomatoes!). But our ash trees are turning colors (yay!) and my sunflowers are in full, glorious, autumn-yellow bloom! Combine that with a family of scarecrows, 2 sheafs of cornstraw and a little wooden wagon pulling pumpkins and squash in my front yard, and we’ll just enjoy these stolen days of summer and the extra tomatoes and green beans to boot! Kind of a "count your blessings" and "Be Thankful Always" attitude as befits autumn!! (smile)
What an awesome blog! Autumn has been hiding from me too. I thought it was coming but it was not to be. Sneaky and upsetting to have it dangled in front of you then yanked back out of sight again. I am doing like you and getting out the autumn decorations. Maybe if we all do that Autumn will finally come out to play. Your soup sounds delicious! I will try it next time I make soup. I usually make white bean soup with cornbread and fried potatos as that is what I grew up with but I love black beans as well. I did grow up with the beans "ditty". My poppy was always saying it and he was the bean soup cook. Yes, Autumn is in our hearts but it will be here in actuality soon as well. May you have a beautiful and blessed Autumn!
Autumn?? Yesterday Los Angeles was 113!! Beverly Hills was 119!!!!
Rebekah, I share your longing for Autumn. This is the first time in my ?? years that I have wished for Summer to end. But I see a promise in a poplar in our backyard, just starting to change colors. As we know they are one of the first trees to turn. Also the beautiful magnolia has seed pods and leaves falling to the ground. I gather a basketful for the living room table. Rain last night so we can hope to see Autumn soon. We Will all wait together. Dollie
Nope. Haven’t found autumn yet–it’s 107 here in sunny California! However, with your excellent suggestions, I now have hope of finding it. Thanks so very much for such an inspiring blog today! Sure do have a hankerin’ for my Tennessee roots, though….
My great-grandmother used to say "If you want Christmas, you have to make it!" The same must apply to Autumn (at least this year.) You did a great job of making your Autumn. I may just do the same.
Autumn seems to be coming and going here in Maine. One day it’s 57 and the next it’s 85. I’ll be glad when I can pull out my wool sweaters for real.
I’ve been wondering the same thing lately. I haven’t found it yet. Maybe I’ll haul out some decorations too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Maybe you’d like to check out my autumn memories on the farm. This is a wonderful time of year, especially in areas of the country where we have a multitude of colorful foliage and frosty nights. http://farmgirlheritage.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumns-colored-leaves-memories-on-farm.html
Hi,I knew it was autumn this morning when my little dog,a yorkie mix,got under the covers in my bed,it was so cute!It was cool here this morning,and I am just not ready for it,I still have so much outside work that needs to done!But,hopefully we will have more nice days.Dad and I are gathering bittersweet and hedge apples,makeing wreaths of grapevines,and Its just a wonderful time of the year!I love Cinnimon everything,it makes the house smell so good!Have a greal fall!Blessed be,carol branum.
Every day on my trip into work, I see how the trees have changed color. Yellows have been out for a while, a bit of orange and this week the deep reds have shown up.
On my Saturday visits to the local farmer’s market the variety of fruits and vegetable has slowly been changing to fall the fall: apples, pumpkins, corn stalks, winter squash, fresh cider to name a few. The hummingbirds have left for warmer climates, and the ducks and geese have starteed to gather for to begin their migration.
Yes, it is fall……and I hope it lasts for at least another month.
There have been some pretty cool mornings, but condensation on my car windows is really much more of a nuisance than frost. I’d really like frost now and perhaps Indian Summer later. I want to turn off the air and put the fans away and dig out my hooded sweatshirts. These coolish nights and pretty warm days with the general lack of color are not really fall in my opinion. If this wasn’t the end of September and if the kids weren’t in school all we would have is less daylight.
But we really can not do anything about the weather except grumble about it. Last spring my neighbors and I were complaining about the lack of a real spring because we seemed to have instant summer. I think that if you are supposed to have four seasons you should get four seasons.
I love autumn too, but like your neck of the woods, it hasn’t arrived at my home either! Still warm and humid at nights. But, I changed my window boxes to the fall flowers, hung up the welcome signs with pumpkins, scarecrows, etc, and decorated the inside of the house too. Feels a little colder around here — but that’s in my head — it really isn’t. I made broccoli cheese soup and bread to herald the anticipated autumn, but alas, it was 85 and humid! Oh well, the soup was good, even if sweat was pouring off my face.
The cottonwoods by the creek are slowly turning yellow, but that is the only sign of autumn thus far. Last rain was July 27. The farmers are still planting winter wheat in the hope we will get rain. How I long for a cool cloudy day with a slow rain!
I tried for the first time last year the candy corn and peanuts…. YUMMMM!
Thanks for the treasure hunt for Autumn! I’m so glad you finally found it…Here in
America’s Hometown the leaves are already turning… shades of gold and red are popping out everywhere! Farm stands are brimming with pumpkins, corn husks and MUMS!
Pop on over to my blog for another FALL FIX… and read my latest post, happy GLORIOUS AUTUMN! Hope to see you there and thanks for another fun read!
Beach blessings,
Deb~
Hello Everyone,
Don’t know if anyone else has tried your MIL’s Autumn snack mix, but I found at a local big box store(don’t know if I can say the name on here)but it is delicious…it not only has unsalted peanuts & candy corn, but also candy-coated dark chocolate pieces & yogurt-covered pretzel balls!!!!Talk about a great snack!!! And the candy is all Fall colors so it looks great in a candy dish…Happy Fall Ya’ll!!!
Autumn came this morning to my area. There was a nip in the air. I had to turn on my car heater on my way to work. I can’t wait to start raking leaves.
Oh yes! We’ve got it now in New England. My favorite time of year is here!
I celebrated with the first fire of the season today. So did most of my neighbors. The smell takes me back to childhood autumns. I like to keep a fire burning all winter long. I have my woodshed full! I even chopped some of it myself. I’m a farm girl through and through!
I’m going through and reading every one of your posts! BEAUTIFUL!