September 1st, 2021 ~ Wednesday (cool and sunny on this NW island)
Merely two blog posts ago I said that in a blink of an eye it would be September.
Guess what?!
I returned home late (late!) Monday night from a little trip to CO this past weekend … a six day trip always sounds like a good amount of time to be away. (More than plenty of time – I think!) But when two of those days each consist of 12 hours of travel (from/to and back again) … those four full days go by in a blink of an eye.
Just like this summer has.
Wasn’t it JUST May? I was getting ready to go on my trip down south. I was excited to get my second vaccine. The whole summer lay before me. Seriously – where did it go?
Blink. Blink. Gone!
I came home from that trip mid-June and I turned around, took a breath, and it was late August. Crazy! In the time I was gone (this trip) I was (mostly) removed from the news and pretty much anything else. I went rogue and didn’t take my laptop this time around and I was sort of unplugged. It was nice. I needed a break. If aliens had landed somewhere on the planet, I’m pretty sure I would have been oblivious to their arrival.
What I did notice, though, when I got back home was the arrival of Autumn. Amazing what changes a few days away will bring.
I’m ready though. I’ve now been up in the NW for over 7 years (omg) … and I’ve adjusted to the temps. I’m still not a fan (even with this being our warmest summer that I can remember) … but the time I spent in Denver was practically an assault on my system. It was HOT! In any location, this body is not meant to be in 90-100 degree temps. I just don’t do well. I loved the balmy evenings but those are only possible when the days are steamy or scorching. The daytimes I could have done without! And, as much as I wanted to stay and see friends/family more … I was glad to get back to my bed and the coolness of home.
It is the summer’s great last heat, It is the fall’s first chill: They meet. – Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
I know that fall doesn’t actually begin, according to the calendar, for another 3 weeks (September 22nd) but according to MY calendar … September/October and November comprise what is Autumn and so, here we are. And, it sure feels fall-esque to me today. It got down to 48 degrees last night … and today’s high was 68. Balmy in the afternoon but that fall chill was present this morning.
Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor.
–Irish proverb
To me, fall has begun but it officially occurs in a measly three weeks (another blink of an eye). It is then that we’ll be observing the autumnal equinox. The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,”and nox, meaning “night.” On the date of the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. Roughly – except in the northern regions where it’s still light out later. (It is also the day when my neighbors dance (naked) around a pole in someone’s backyard. Or maybe that is solstice. Thankfully, I’ve missed these events.)
In any case – it’s feeling autumnal and I’m watering my front lawn and flower beds hoping to revive my plants and lawn. We have had 2-3 rain showers since May and it is hideously dry – even for our summer drought standards. Driving home from the grocery store today I noticed the first colors of autumn that have popped up on various trees.
In the blink of an eye.
I took yesterday and today “off” … no guest dogs and just luxuriated in wearing a sweater and being with my dogs. I continue to get the hero’s welcome whenever I come in from moving the sprinkler around or out of the bathroom. It’s nice to know I was missed and that I am loved by my sweet furry creatures. I’ve been doing all those post-vacay chores and lazing around. I even got caught up on some of my recorded shows and news programs. This slower pace has been nice especially after the craziness of oh-so-many furry and human guests that I hosted over the summer months. I feel like these days have been a gentle slide into the new season and it is most welcome.
I’m now going up to the attic to pull down all things autumnal. My favorite season means I decorate early and leave everything up until the Monday after Thanksgiving. Especially splendid! I’d never do well living in Australia … all things fall fill up my soul and all the browns, rusts, and cranberry colors just wouldn’t be the same during spring! I can’t wear bifocals because I’d be falling down all over the place – my brain doesn’t adjust that way. I just can’t imagine it trying to figure out the opposite seasons “down under”.
And, thank god for the changing of seasons because the thought of bringing out my fall decs heralded an hour of dusting every surface in the house today. Don’t ever give me the white glove test – unless it’s at the beginning of a new season. Otherwise, I’d flunk!
I picked up a bouquet of dahlias and zinnias from the local farm on my way home today … deep reds, mustards, magentas and orange … the colors of the seasons – mixed together so beautifully. Goodbye Summer – I’m so ready for fall.
Tonight I’ll put on a cozy coat and walk the cliff. I’ll count the deer and bunnies and see what else has changed, even subtly, in my short absence. I know I’ll see or feel a difference.
Happy (almost) Autumn! It came in the blink of an eye!