Situated on the cusp of colder weather, there is a new quality to the air these days. The golden season is afoot. The trees have begun to shed summer, and warmer hues
will soon fade in. Getting out of bed will grow increasingly difficult, and early risers will feel a chill nipping at their heels. Bitter weather aside, the activities and holidays enjoyed this time of year exceed those of any other.
The orchards just to our north welcome pickers from all over, offering a variety of apples for the making of baked goods and homemade cider. The many corn mazes are great fun, especially in the evenings. Imagine wandering fields in the failing light, the silence interrupted periodically by muffled laughter.
When we ease into October, paying a visit to a pumpkin patch will be essential for Halloween preparations.
Once carved, Jack-o-lanterns will glow behind lawn décor like the ever-popular faux tombstones with their ridiculous epitaphs and the eerily colored lights that festoon gutters.
When the month of mischief passes, November will bring with it images of family and tradition. Harvest wreaths will grace front doors, weekends will see ritualistic leaf raking, and wafts of burning wood will float about neighborhoods. Before we exit the season, we will make plans and book flights for Thanksgiving celebrations. For those whose holiday has certain denominational undertones, the patriarch of the family will say grace, giving thanks for health and happiness. Cousins and siblings will fight over the turkey’s wishbone, the two participants hoping to get the good half that a wish might be won and come true. November’s close always seems to leave a tinge of sadness, yet knowing Christmas and New Year’s Eve will follow shortly after quickly removes this feeling.
Fall is the grand finale before the stiff fingers of winter takes us in their grasp, and luckily we are at its beginning. We ought to enjoy it while we have it and try to make it last.
Danielle Alvarez,
Junior Political Science Major.
