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Monday, November 18, 2024 at 3:51 AM

Fall’s Delights

Americans refer to autumn as fall because of the falling of the leaves. Riding to work on U.S. 60 West, I can see the subtle transform ation begin as the green leaves on the trees change into their fall finery.

Americans refer to autumn as fall because of the falling of the leaves. Riding to work on U.S. 60 West, I can see the subtle transform ation begin as the green leaves on the trees change into their fall finery.

This past Saturday, I could no longer put off putting up my Halloween decorations and I went into the basement to find them. On a day when my organizational skills were at a 10, I had combined all the Halloween items into a plastic tote labeled “Halloween.” I know there are many of you out there who have multiple totes of Halloween items, but I have just one. I keep adding new items to it so there will probably come a day when I have two Halloween totes.

Within an hour or so, I finished decking the halls - or in my case, the entertainment center in the living room and the top of the china hutch in the kitchen - with ghostly figurines, jack o’ lanterns, and spooky lights.

This fall needs a tap on the shoulder as a reminder that it is time for it to get consistently cooler. We have had some delightfully crisp weather, usually in the morning and returning at night after a sweltering afternoon. This is the time of year when you find out how well your car’s heating and cooling system works as you start the day with the heat on and end it in air conditioning.

Once true fall sets in, it’s time to rediscover the warmest socks in the drawer and slip them on, along with the flannel pajama bottoms that were an impulsive purchase at a clearance sale from a summer sidewalk sale.

The time of block parties and barbeques gives way to cozy nights at home sipping soups that have been simmering all day and covering up with crocheted or knitted afghans on sofas.

Skies are a brilliant blue, when not looking woolen with clouds. The rains are cold. Home is a different kind of refuge at this time of year. The air-conditioning and the fans kept us cool in the summer months. There is some kind of special warmth inside a home during fall. Ovens welcome blossoming bread. Cats are a comfort in laps. That threadbare sweatshirt is still nice and comfy while watching a new Netflix find or taking a nap on a Sunday afternoon.

Pumpkins are prevalent, ready for carving or for putting on porches with displays of shucks of corn and stacks of hay.

Fall is a reminder that letting go can be a beautiful thing. The trees shed their leaves. In time, they become bare, picked clean like blackened skeletons against the backdrop of a sky free of summer’s haze.

That Southern humidity that coats skin like a slick of oil in summertime is replaced by the relief of the balm of fall’s comforts. Jackets are brought out from storage and old receipts, loose change and movie tickets stubs are found in the pockets.

If you thought September went by in a hurry, you are about to see a month do a 31day dash in record time. When the calendar flips to Oct. 1, I find myself saying that it won’t be long until Halloween. And on Halloween, I will probably be saying, it won’t be long until Thanksgiving.

I’m sure for children it is an excruciating wait until Oct. 31, particularly around here since the downtown trick-ortreating events in Lexington and Buena Vista have become such an anticipated tradition with entire families dressing up in costume. I plan on dressing up this year. I am usually the only person who does this at work, but that’s OK. I like to blend in with the costumed crowd downtown when I take pictures on Halloween.

I know there are people who are dreading the months ahead when winter sometimes shows its cruel streak and imprisons us in our homes. Enjoy this time of year while it lasts. Because it doesn’t last very long.


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