Tag: autumn

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the taste of autumn

There is just the hint of autumn on the air this week. It is different here in California from the autumns I remember as a kid. Back then, this time of year brought the smell of dry leaves and apple cider, the cool temperatures that kissed the grass with frost in the early mornings and the expectation of a new school year, which itself came with new clothes and supplies (yes, my love of pens and notebooks started early).

Here, as we creep out of summer and into autumn, the nights turn cool while the days stay warm. There is no demarcation of a new year to celebrate because the work year runs along without that summer playing in the sun or the start of school, and as adults, I no longer have to wait for September for new clothes (or pens and notebooks).

The night begins to slowly overtake the day, the sun sinking earlier in the day and the nights a little bit longer each day until Yule. Tomorrow marks the Pagan holiday of Mabon, a time of rest and reflection when the harvest is done and stored up for the winter. It is a good time for physical and mental house keeping. Clear out the clutter and sweep out the cobwebs.

I’ve got a little taste of autumn in my coffee this morning, with some Death Wish Pumpkin Chai and some hazelnut creamer. And, I’ve got an hour or so to write before I embark on the day job. I call that a good start to a Monday.

Hope the day treats you well, Readers!

Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

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sunshine and kindness

August is something of a transition month for me. When I lived in Upstate New York as a kid, it had this impending feeling of autumn, but with the heat and free spirit of summer. Corn of the cob and macaroni salads filled picnic tables, kids splashed about in Lake Ontario, and trees were just starting to show the kiss of color that autumn would bring.

Thoughts would turn to shopping for school clothes, the smell of leaves and fires, the anticipation for hay rides and haunted houses.

Of course, now that my life no longer rotates around the school calendar, August is the start of a string of birthdays/holidays that begins with my brother’s oldest child’s (who is no longer a child) birthday, mine, my mother’s, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my brother’s birthday, Christmas, New Year’s and then my brother’s youngest child’s birthday (she is no longer a child either).

Add in there a trip to Austin early in August most years for a birthday celebration of another kind, plus various conferences and vacations, and most years August is the start of time accelerating to race through it all.

I leave for Austin on Thursday (vaccinated and masked), but until then, I’m trying to hold back on the gallop and keep this thing slowed down a bit while I can. I’m writing a lot, and editing the Sirens Benefit Anthology, and even working at designing a cover for it.

Right now, I’m savoring my Death Wish Coffee and contemplating thinky things. I plan on filming some poetry videos while I’m in Austin, so stay tuned for that to happen.

And now, Readers, I’m off into my Sunday. May yours be filled with sunshine and kindness.

Photo by Brian Garcia on Unsplash

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autumn dreams and poetry

Is it just me, or is this year just flying by? Somehow, we’re almost at the end of July. Before you know it, we’ll start the birthday/holiday run that starts in late August and ends around April.

At least I’m ready for the autumn temperatures, not that this has been a super hot summer, not compared to some I’ve spent here in California.

I’ve always been partial to the autumn. I love the colors, the smells, the memories of apple orchards and pumpkin farms, back-to-school clothes and hayrides.

My creative side craves it. I write more poetry in the months of September, October and November than the rest of the year combined.

I’ve just launched a Ko-Fi page! What is Ko-Fi? Well, it’s a place for creators to create and share. My commissions are open for Social Media bios, poetry and short stories. Stop by and buy me a cup of coffee.

Photo by Erik Witsoe on Unsplash

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the autumn of innocence

I was born in September. I don’t know if that has any bearing on my love for autumn, but I like to believe it does. In my Upstate New York childhood, autumn meant new school clothes and supplies (I still love new notebooks and pens and markers and folders and, and, and…), the smell of dry leaves and cider, and the excitement of Halloween. The highlight of October was the annual trip to Kelly’s Farm to pick out our pumpkins and get fresh brewed cider and old fashioned donuts.

While the innocence of that time has gone, and the world is a different place today than it was then, there is a certain wonder to the autumn months still. I sometimes miss the New York autumns, especially here in California where we basically get two seasons, Summer and Not-Summer. Sure we have leaves on the ground and the mornings and nights are cooler, and sometimes even cold, but the true fall colors don’t happen here, unless you travel up into the mountains.

We’re into the time of year here that means long pants and long sleeves in the morning, tank tops and shorts by noon and the air conditioner in the late afternoon. I go to bed with the fan blowing and not even the sheet pulled over me and wake up under blankets chilled.

Last night I refreshed my altar for my ancestors as sort of an invitation. The veil between worlds is thinning as we approach Samhain and I welcome them to visit.

Samhain, and Halloween for that matter, will be different this year, I imagine. For me it is usually a quiet holiday, being the my front door doesn’t face the street, but just the sheer number of newly dead this year…loved ones to be remembered and honored…changes the tenor of the day. This was true for me the Samhain after 9/11, and this is so much more, so many more dead, and many of them left this world bereft of human touch, without the ones they loved by their side.

On that somber note, I wish each of you a lovely week and the kindness and compassion that changes lives. I’m off for more coffee and to log into work. May this autumn be one of a better harvest.

Cover Photo by Dennis Buchner on Unsplash