F Is For Fall

One cannot select October as a subject without touching on the Fall. I would have wrote a posting about Autumn, but I didn't think of it. Thankfully, this is the only season that actually has two names. While summer and spring certainly have a place in my heart, I am head-over-heels in love with the Fall.  

I cannot pinpoint a reason as to why this is. 

For one, I adore watching the trees change. Whenever I see the green turn red and orange, when gold paints the horizon, I'm filled with joy. A bite is added to the air, and a crispness that tickles your nose and a freshness that gets caught in your hair. Wind rustles dried leaves at night. The nights become longer, and somehow darker. In comes the chill and out come the scarves, toques, mittens and sweatshirts. 

No longer can you wear dresses without tights underneath. The summer clothes are put to the backs of closets and jeans, boots, and jackets are brought out. 

We may be preparing for Winter, but the month of October is still blessed with nice weather. Even as the wind whips through the trees and leaves, we are still warmed by the rays of the sun.

And the rain comes. It's a different sort of rain from the summer months. Coming in from the side, it taps against the windowpane, playing a tune I'd almost forgotten existed. With the arrival of October, and this most beloved season, we pull out blankets to bundle up in and the drop in temperature at night promotes more cuddling. 

The first tip off to Falls arrival is the scent which comes in on the breeze. I detect it long before most people. I'll stop, take a deep breath, close my eyes and say, "Fall is coming." Most people scoff or think me insane, because I usually say this in the middle of September when the heat feels as though it is going to last forever. But not even a week later leaves begin to fall from the trees and the night air has a nip to it. And the scent I know so well is equal parts fire and earth, wind and rain. It is the scent of my favourite childhood memories. 

It is Halloween. 

Everything changes. I cannot think of another season that is so drastic and swift.  The trees turn bare, flowers wilt and fade, and some people look at is as though everything is dying, but I don't. I think of it as the world winding down, in need of sleep, in order to rejuvenate. Everything just slows down, becomes easier, and we relax into an softer pace. 

October is golden. Fall is home. It fills my heart with a warmth I cannot express in words, but which leaves me contented. And happy.