Welcome to autumn, my third favorite season, second behind No.1 summer and No.2 spring, but always a joy. Autumn is sometimes ranked No. 2 until I realize that it means I’m heading into winter, which always makes spring beat fall at the tape.
I’m going to try to appreciate autumn even more this seasons for all these reasons:
- Leaves. In general. But also…
- The colors of leaves. I miss at this time of year a sweet gum tree I used to have. I knew I was getting older when I got mad if it didn’t really turn on the red-yellow-orange juice by October…
- Other people raking leaves – unless a little kid is going to play in them. Then I’ll rake. It’s worth it…
- There’s something about an old sweatshirt…
- The possibility that I might, just maybe, possibly, have the green thumb guts to plant petunias, some marigolds, a copper plant, or even an ornamental pepper…
- The moisture of the morning on your skin, and it’s dew instead of sweat…
- The spot on your shirt and it’s crab dip instead of sweat, because autumn is first about the colors but second about the food. Homemade pie. Cider. Tailgate or holiday feast, autumn is the best eating season of the year and it’s not even close…
- Halloween. I love a kid dressed as a pumpkin and all you can see is their face poking out under the little hat with the green stem on it…
- Hugging, which is the poor man’s snuggling, and Snuggling, which is the next stop for the couple who wish to promote from Advanced Hugging, or “Huggling.” It has been pointed out to me that this is a good and underrated thing, one of the best things under the sun…
So I wish for you some snuggles or even huggles in an old sweatshirt after eating as somebody rakes the leaves around your blooming flowers while you watch football. Or the World Series. Autumnal bliss…
(I left out high-sky golf in your favorite mock turtleneck, but hey, that’s a given.)
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