“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
We are always looking for a reason to celebrate at 3mph, but the arrival of Fall is bittersweet. Harvest season is always awesome, and we have already canned a winter’s supply of salsa and spaghetti sauce. We still have weeks to go before we’re done harvesting tomatoes, not to mention all the squash.
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ~ Lauren DeStefano
The trees all put on their most colorful attire too, which makes for more happiness and cheer. The weather starts cooling off, and we can actually wear long-sleeved britches and a sweater once in a while, and that’s nice. BUT the Autumnal Equinox marks the end of the long sunny days, and that makes us sad.
Sol is headed south once again, and we’ll enjoy the invigorating cool weather for a while. Eventually, when the sun shows up for only 8 or 9 hours at a time, we’ll struggle to keep our smiles. We may have to migrate south by a dozen degrees of latitude or so to stay comfortable and find our wintertime joy.
“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
Perhaps that’s why Fall/Autumn has two names. Winter, Spring, and Summer all go by the same name, but Autumn has two. Is one bitter and the other sweet? Autumn entered the lexicon (about 600 years ago), a couple of centuries before Fall, but I think Fall is probably more commonly used these days.
The sun may be headed south and taking our long sunny days with him, but there’s still so much to celebrate in this season. In the U.S., it is commonly considered the season of gratitude and Thanksgiving, and that’s a magical celebration. So, “Get Out There,” and celebrate!
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
