Autumn is the best season. I have felt this way my entire life. Perhaps it’s because I loved the cool weather or always loved going back to school (you know, for the backpacks, the trapper keepers, the #2 pencils . . . dork alert).
In any case, there are only about 5 weeks until autumn, so here are my favorite ten things about “The Beautiful Season” (or fall, as many of you insist on calling it) in no particular order:
1) The spelling of the word a-u-t-u-m-n. Any word that ends in m-n AND you’re allowed to say without getting a detention must be pretty cool.
2) Cooler weather – while I have noticed that winter is KIND OF losing its appeal with me as I get older and more sensitive to freezing temperatures, the cooler weather of autumn, after the ridonculous heat of summer, is so refreshing.
3) The beautiful fall foliage – yes, I said foliage. Only people who use the word autumn use the word foliage. And what could be more beautiful than a host of dead and dying things (leaves) hanging on with their very last strength, only to fall and be consumed with fire.
4) Wood fires
5) Football – from the lights of a Friday night high school game, to sitting inside on a lazy Saturday with a cup of hot chocolate watching Penn State v. Ohio State, to falling asleep after church on a Sunday afternoon while the Steelers clobber their opponent, there is no national past time (sorry baseball lovers) quite as nice as football (yes, I understand that my no-tv rule is in affect until January 1st and may have some impact on this particular activity)
6) Wearing jeans and boots and a heavy sweater, walking through the woods and mending a stone wall (okay, so I’m no Robert Frost, but I still enjoy the aforementioned clothing)
7) The scent of wood fires
8) Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkins with little, evil faces carved in them, and the delicious pumpkin curry soup my wife makes
9) Thanksgiving, my favorite season of all
10) And this year, for the first time ever, The Fireside Writer’s Conference. Ha! You thought you were finally getting through one of my posts without hearing about that.
So what’s your favorite thing about autumn? Do you even like autumn? Do you even like the word autumn, or do you find it pretentious?
i have a solemn appreciation for autumn. I condemn the man or woman who does not sing a hymn to the column of joy that is autumn.
i love columns of joy
The changing colors, the change in season, Ray Lamontagne singing about Gossip in the Grain.. Hay.. Pumpkins, flannel, cold weather and beards.. Fall is by far my favorite season!
bring some autumn with you guys when you come to our house!
That you are a Steelers fan just upped your awesome level to ridiculous heights.
I like autumn. Honestly, I like pretty much all of the seasons and living in a place that HAS seasons is super important to me.
My favorite part about autumn is by far the colors. My husband and I always take a day off for a long drive through the WV country-side (on some of the more back and winding roads) to appreciate the changing leaves. It’s one of my favorite annual dates.
i love upping my awesomeness level! you’re right though: fall wouldn’t be fall without the not-quite-as-nice other three.
I totally feel you on the #2 pencils. New school supplies in general are awesome. (I’ve already invested in a new messenger bag — the Haiku Courier. I watched another commuter pass through the Philly 30th Street station all last year carrying this bag, so it’s obviously durable as well as gorgeous, and I’m sure you can imagine my delight at the idea of being a “haiku courier.” QUICKLY! I must get this haiku to its destination!)
The hair-tearing part that precedes the real onset of autumn, of course, is the Writing of the Syllabi. Augh.
I must respectfully disagree, however, on Penn State football. Having graduated from high school in State College and subsequently done undergrad at Penn State, I associate game days mostly with incredibly horrible traffic and public intoxication. However, I think PSU home games bear comparison to Grateful Dead shows: tens of thousands of people, many of them dressed peculiarly, converged on a large venue accessible only by a highly-coveted ticket, and enjoyed socializing in the parking lot beforehand almost as much as they enjoyed the main event!
i have never been to state college so i’ll take your word on it. delivering haikus, however, sounds like a fascinating job.
I agree 100% ~ Autumn is my favorite-ist with Spring just behind it. I love the cooler temperatures, being able to wear jeans and a sweater {or really, any item of clothing} without having a niagara falls effect down the face, picking the perfect weekend when the foliage is at its peak and taking pictures, the smell of leaves burning, hot soups, hot tea, hot coffee, hot food, apple-scented candles … so many things.
And I must say, the thing I liked about starting school is all the new stuff! The brand new notebook with all the pretty white blank pages, the brand new trapper keeper, the brand new bookbag. Ah yes. :)
# 5 is my #1 – all of it, especially the part about the Steelers clobbering whoever!!!!!!
I say that my favorite season is September 15 – October 31st. I love summer, but there’s something about those 5-6 weeks of autumnal bliss that are just absolute perfection! The feel of the air, the color of the sky, those black & white puffy clouds that don’t mean rain, the smell of the air with the dead leaves and the fires, the sound of geese gathering and flying… And then winter hits and I cry.
Great points…I would note that as someone who really doesn’t write on blogs much (in fact, this may be my first post), I don’t think the term “lurker” is very flattering to a non-posting reader. It’s not your fault in the least , but perhaps the blogosphere could come up with a better, non-creepy name for the 90% of us that enjoy just reading the posts.
Articles like these put the consumer in the driver seat-very imatpornt.
its nice how she wants someone to FORCE her to love? them -_-
haters gonna love? :D