When I was a little girl, my favorite time of year was always summer. Summer meant blue skies, long warm days, no school, lots of hours to play or read or do whatever I wanted to do. I never understood how my mother could say her favorite time of year was autumn. To me, autumn meant school (in case you hadn't noticed, I loathed school), rainy days, cold--everything I didn't like.
Now that I've moved to New Orleans, where my mother was born and raised, I've come to understand why she loved fall. Summers here are brutal, something to be endured and--come hurricane season and the dangerous vortex of August and September--feared. Don't get me wrong; I still love blue skies and warm days and the exuberant burst of glory they bring to my garden. But I've also come to look forward to the softer days of autumn, to clear, crisp mornings and gentle mists and the scent of woodsmoke on a biting breeze.
Last weekend, we went up to our lake house. The lake is glorious this time of year, and offers a glimpse of the fall coloration that is so gorgeous farther north but is largely lacking around New Orleans. This post has no real point, except that I changed the photo on my desktop this morning to the one at the top, and thought I'd share it. And I can't even take credit for the pictures, because they're the work of my daughter, Danielle, who crept out with her camera early to catch the morning fog, and then went off again in the golden light of evening.
So what's your favorite time of the year? Do you find it changes depending upon where you live? Or maybe aging has something to do with it...
13 comments:
Fall is also my favorite time of year, but that has also happened in the last ten years as I have gotten older. We moved to Seattle about six years ago from sunny/hot So Cal and I just love the fall season up here with the changing colors, the mist, the bite in the air. I asked my middle school daughter which is her favorite season, and I was so surprised to hear her say she loved both summer and fall and it was hard for her to choose. Hmmm... so maybe it isn't an age thing after all but more of a geographical thing. Once you've lived in a place that doesn't have much of a fall or a really hot summer, you learn to appreciate it all the more. Sabena
Autumn, always autumn, ever since I was little ... the spices, the leaves, the sky, the air ... delicious.
I've always lived where there are four distinct seasons. Ottawa, where I grew up, is too cold for me now that I've experienced other climes. Washington, DC was too warm hot; the summers were brutal and the winters were no fun, just wet and grey. I guess I'm happiest here in Kingston, ON where we have the best of both worlds--skating on natural ice in winter, beautiful colours in the fall, and a summer that's warm, but not too hot (we're right on Lake Ontario). Right now, I might be in love with November. With the leaves gone, the light is different and somewhat magical. We had our first hard frost of the season this morning and everything sparkled!
You are a wonderful writer! I just discovered your St. Cyr series and devoured them in a month! Thank you for the attention to historical details...it gives me an excuse to say I am doing historical "research" instead of grading AP essays. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
I loved summer but growing up on the farm meant summer was a time of really hard work too. I think I always like autumn. Loved the cold crisp air, the shadows, the big Halloween moon. Of course, I didn't like that it got dark earlier.
Sabena, that's interesting, since I'd have thought moving to a colder climate would have made you like summer more!
Barbara, yes, I do miss the leaves here.
Liz,sounds magical!
Anon at 9:51, thank you so much! And Happy Thanksgiving.
Charles, that's an interesting perspective that I wouldn't have thought of, the association of summer and farm work. And I so agree on losing the daylight in the evening.
I'm from the northern Midwest, now firmly transplanted into the great Pacific Northwest (former Wolverine, now a die-hard, happy Duck). Living here, I have come to appreciate the milder winters and low humidity summers. My favorite seasons here are the summers and early fall, as we live outside on the decks, lounging, eating, and hanging out, as well as puttering around the garden. Ms. Harris, I read in your bio that you had spent some time in Idaho and eastern Oregon. That part of the Pacific Northwest is quite different from the Portland, Oregon area west of the Cascades, where I live.
Athough, I do have to admit, I do miss the big thunderstorms with lots of lightning and booming thunder. It's pretty peaceful here as it relates to that. Everybody jumps and gets pretty excited when we here the occasional clap of thunder or two-LOL.
There are a lot of us Pacific Northwesters on this board! I am a New Yorker who moved out here thirteen years ago, and I will never go back. I used to think that I would miss snow, and I have found that I don't. I prefer fall and spring - in that order. Spring is green and fresh, but a tad too damp for me , whereas fall here is just wonderful with its cool weather and kaleidoscope of colors. I could live in autumn forever.
For me it has to be spring. I crave sunlight, and as the days get warmer,and longer, my spirits just rise. Add to that the blooming tulips (my favorite flower), and yes, those showers that are just perfect for nice long walks in raincoats and wellies ;-) It brings back wonderful childhood memories, which I love to share with my little ones.
Here in New York spring can be an iffy proposition at best, which is why we often travel in March and April, looking for the perfect spring spots.
and I just slipped in a NOOB into that post, didn't I? LOL
LOgalinOR, that area is lovely. I once spent a summer in Astoria, when I was in grad school.
Essex, I've noticed that! I wonder why? I remember really, really loving spring in Idaho, because it was such a relief after the long cold winters.
Paz, I really need sunlight, too. And it's so frustrating that tulips don't grow down here--they need a length of cold we just don't get. (Yes, noticed the wellies! When I first went on a dig in Australia, we were told to get wellies and I went, "Huh?")
In Melbourne (Aus) we had an interminable winter this year, and just when I was despairing of ever feeling warm again, Spring has arrived in earnest.
I adore the last few weeks of Spring: garden blooming, clear light and the promise of that seemingly endless summer unfolding, the anticipation of Christmas and attendant merry-making in the middle, and new Sebastian at the end. Bliss!
Belinda, I think I'd just about accustomed myself to the flipped seasons when we moved back to the States. Now, I still sometimes find myself confused about where I am in the year (just as I occasionally go to get in the wrong side of the car. STILL.).
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