A Touch of Autumn, and Musings on Weather

Fall is my favorite season, and I revel in the climate changes that transpire with each passing day. Our trees will soon burst into the bouquets of Autumn, and our eyes will drink in shades of maroon, umber and ochre-gold. (Not satisfied with waiting for these colors I spent the afternoon festooning my front porch with garland!) It is more than just harvest time. It is our land shrugging off the last moments of summer as it prepares itself to bed down for the colder months.

Autumn heralds the approach of winter, and all the gifts that winter bestows upon us - chilly mornings soothed by steaming mugs of hot chocolate, pristine blue-white landscapes caressed with blankets of snow (and the tracks of small animals who crossed my yard in the dead of night), dazzling icicles dangling from my porch, casting prismatic lights as the sun bathes them.

Of course, my joy of the seasons runs thin towards the end. I sense the changes in the air, and I crave for the season to be upon me fully. My eyes starve for shades of green in the winter, and I celebrate the first buds peaking from the trees. As spring runs its course, I daydream of summer and warmth. As the warmth becomes tedious, I beg for a chill in the air. And, when that chill hits, I mourn the loss of summer, for my world will be depleted of natural green for several months. I could never exist in climates such as Florida... seasons are the treasures of my soul.

I have never comprehended those who whine about weather. I have friends and family members who curse the rain upon seeing it in the morning. These same people will gnash their teeth when they contemplate frosty streets, or lash out towards mother nature when we are granted a day far too warm for our fans or air conditioners to chase away. "All those damn leaves in my yard!" or "This stupid rain makes the day gloomy." What would anyone expect during a season? Should the leaves stay put so the trees won't complete their cycle? Is there something negative about a gloomy day that makes it so unwanted?

Fog is something this area seems to revel in. We have fog year-round, and it clings to the hills and woodlands. For is not the same as haze out here, but is an actual living entity, lurking so thickly that there are mornings where I can't see my own hand in front of my face. It envelopes you in a coverlet of moisture, making clothing and hair damp in its wake. It is almost eerie to see bright Christmas lights shining through the thick soup during the winter, as if they were beacons for invisible ships crossing the lawns at night. Fog is also the cause of many problems around here, as people forget that they must reduce their speed.

So, is the weather really to blame for tragic things? (I am not talking of grand catastrophes such as hurricanes!) I don't think we can hold the weather accountable, when we ourselves refuse to admit that we are not masters of our domain. If we can not hold a respect for weather, or for seasons, we pit ourselves against a foe that is far superior to us. God, or whatever thing you choose to believe in, did not plunk us down on this planet to be separate from it. We are living creatures in a living ecosystem, and weather is not our foe.