Late August in Minnesota has a distinct feeling . . . and sound. By day, the cicadas are buzzing. At night, the crickets are a symphony. Sunrise is at 6:30 a.m., sunset is at 8:00 p.m., and I can feel the dark months coming, stealing the edges of each day.
For the kids, summer is already over. Each year I’m grateful I’m no longer a student or a teacher. For me, Labor Day is like New Year’s – a time to start a new habit and settle into a new pattern.
I miss the early mornings when the air is still cool and the grass and flowers are still dewy before the heat of the day blankets us. I miss the balmy summer nights when little breezes stir to keep the porch from being oppressively hot.
But autumn has its compensations—
Idyllic days with blue skies and perfect 78-degree temperatures.
State Fair excess (Sweet Martha’s melty chocolate chip cookies, corn and blue cheese fritters—crispy, greasy and delicious).
Farmer’s market bounty: eggplants, peppers, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, and sweet corn. And apples are already ripening!
Cool nights when you can sleep under a light blanket with the windows open.
What do you love/hate about autumn?
Comments
8 responses to “Summer’s Over”
Your pictures were great. Autumn is my favorite time of year. I remember drinking cider that got sharper every day – cannot get that kind of cider in the grocery store.
PLEASE – tell me where, if anywhere, we can get the cider of our childhood again! I so miss it. OK, I guess there is something about Autumn I like. And then there’s the colors, of course…..which I feel like I see with new eyes every year.
Cider and a good fire definitely are treats!
What a lovely post with great photos!
Thanks for reading!
Ellen, thanks for your comments over on River Teeth!
I enjoyed this post, Ellen. You nailed my feelings about the transition. I’m ok with sunny days like these, but when the chill in the air actually makes me chilly, and I can smell dying leaves; well, that combo reminds me of waiting for the school bus. Hubbie Harvey is invigorated by this combo. He says, “You must embrace the cold.” Not me. I have to work hard to find the light. I think I’ve bought so many brightly colored winter scarves I’ll need to wear them all at once!
Autumn always feels a little desperate to me. I cling to the warm days which are all the sweeter because they’re fleeting. If you don’t think it will work to wear all of your scarves at once, you can always lend me a few . . .