JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Okay, I need to acknowledge that technically fall doesn't start until the autumnal equinox on September 21. But here in the US, it always feel like Labor Day is the real turning point; before, summer, after, fall. No matter how late classes start in your district, all the kids are now in school. University students have moved into their dorms, and the choir is back at church. In the publishing industry, people are working on Fridays again!
Even in places where the weather is still like summer on steroids (sorry, Jenn and Rhys!) magazines and stores are showcasing boots and sweaters. So let's do a fast five on what the change of seasons means.
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
In Maine, the temperature change from the last week of August to the first week or so of September is noticeable. It’s like Mother Nature has turned down the thermostat. The nights are about the same, in the 50s/10s but during the day? Those 85/30 beach days are over. The average high this coming week is 75/23, and that daily high temperature doesn’t linger. Which explains my next answer…
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
Cardigans. I keep lightweight cotton ones out all summer long, but I’ve already worn wool cardigans two days this past week!
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Hot homemade soups! I’ve already made a big pot of potato soup and ate it with biscuits and with grilled cheese sandwiches (not all at once!) I’ve never enjoyed cold soups, so it’s lovely when it gets chill enough for a nice hot chowder.
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror?
Wood. Wood, wood, wood. Stacking it in the wood room and carrying it into the house to fill up my iron cradle/boxes/stacking frame.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
Don’t laugh, but I LOVED getting the Fall edition of TV Guide. I would read it from cover to cover and plan which new shows I was going to try. It’s nice having new entertainment possibilities at all times, but today’s generation will never experience the thrill of the New Season.
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
Apples, pumpkins, the choir starts up in church, and for the first time in a while, we aren't sweating our brains out!
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
I haven't yet dug out my puffy vest, but I am rooting through the cedar closet:)
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
We still have tons of tomatoes in the garden, so not saying goodbye to those yet! But we're nearing the end of the local peach season, which make me so sad, and also corn on the cob. On the plus side, local apples are amazing!
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
It should be writing more, shouldn't it??
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
Going back to school! I always loved school and picking out the first day of school outfit. The grandkids' first day of school pix--they had the same excited smiles, but yikes, the clothes are SO casual. (I know, I sound like an old fart.)
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming? The first little drop in the brutal temperature. A week from today the high is predicted to be 89. Hallelulja!! Get out the sweaters!
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ? My ratty old GAP hoodie that I love dearly.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....? We are still getting tomatoes, corn, and okra in the market, but I think the tomatoes are actually coming from somewhere else as it's been too hot here. Hello SOUP! I can't wait!
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror? Like Lucy, I'll say writing more. But we have so many outside chores that it has been too hot to do...
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant... School supplies!! I still want school supplies, only mine are more expensive now:-)
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
Nothing. It's still over a 100 degrees. LOL. But the Halloween decorations at the hardware store are an indicator that the temperature might drop in another month or two. LOL.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
A hoodie. Lightweight, of course.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon on EVERYTHING.
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
Plant my winter garden. Hello, kale, butter lettuce, and broccoli.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
New pencils and notebooks. Such a dork. But there is nothing better than a fresh number 2 and an empty notepad. It's the most wonderful time of the year...
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
There is Halloween stuff at the CVS, too, Jenn! SO ridiculous. And I have been on book tour for the past week, and everywhere there are pumpkin spice ...things. Also, the leaves are falling into my still-blooming mandevilla and impatiens window boxes.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
I got some really great new cropped sweatshirts and I cannot wait to wear them. And boots! But it is still too soon for boots. Again from book tour--it was SO HOT that one outdoor event was moved inside because it was unbearable. (The heat, not the event.)
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Beef stew and chili. And good good Fuji and Honeycrisp and Envy apples. But it is still WAY too hot for that. WAY.
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
It all runs together, actually. My book is due October 15.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
New pencils and notebooks! I still love that.
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
Today I noticed a beautiful tree with yellow leaves. Even though it's still summery here the trees know that fall is coming.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
I'm traveling to England in a couple of weeks and trying to picture what I might wear in chilly, rainy weather when it's still eighties here. I just bought a suede blazer in a sort of coffee color. That's right for fall.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
I was at the farmer's market the other day and the beans, Italian and fava, were perfect. And the peaches, pluots, plums. Unfortunately I don't grow anything... no time this year, plus a resident squirrel would eat anything I grew.
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
This year, as you know, has been crazy and now my house is in complete upheaval because my daughter Anne is moving in with me. So new flooring in the downstairs, her own suite down there, my media room now the guest room, John's old office now the media room, a dumpster plus two trailer loads of stuff for the dump and hopefully a lovely new downstairs by the time Anne moves in.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
I think I looked forward to school each year. It was satisfying moving up a grade and then finally knowing I was a prefect and got a blazer with braid all around it. But I've never been a big fan of fall. I like long light evenings and waking to sunshine peeking in through my blinds.
Julia: Now it's your turn, dear readers.Just copy the questions below and share your answers in the comments!
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror?
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
ReplyDeletePumpkin Spice everything arrives everywhere.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
My much-loved [and much-worn] denim jacket.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
It's time for making soup!
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror?
Moving the plants back inside before it gets too cold for them to stay outside.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
School! And pencils! [I still love pencils] . . . . .
Joan, I love how many of us get exited about the new crop of school supplies. Some clever entrepreneur should put together "book bags" full of beautiful pencils, crayons and notebooks for we grown-ups!
DeleteI was going to say that no one had mentioned crayons, my favorite part of school supplies. Maybe someone should make a fall candle that smells like a fresh box of crayons.
DeleteNothing smells more of the first day of school than new crayons. Thanks, Deborah. Elisabeth
DeleteFall TV Guide was the best! I would also read every word.
ReplyDeleteI miss fall so much. When I worked, I would pull out the dark suits and put away the light-colored ones to try to pretend that SoCal had seasons.
I'm glad you agree with me, Lisa! I've been to So Cal many times (my F-I-L lived in Laguna Niguel) and it always amused me to see women wearing (very lightweight) turtleneck sweaters and boots when it was 80/27 outside. Now I understand it better...
DeleteWhats even weirder about southern Californians is seeing locals all bundled up in sweatshirts or jackets, wearing shorts and often flip-flops running around in the rain.
Delete1. Snowbirds start returning.
ReplyDelete2.Leggings instead of shorts/skorts for pickleball.
3. Chili
4. Anything outside in the middle of the day. Watching football.
5. New school clothes and supplies.
Brenda, you're spot on - as I write this, I'm wearing leggings for the first time in months!
DeleteSomething that tells you Fall is coming is cider hot Apple Cider and Halloween start of schools and colleges and Football and baseball
ReplyDeleteCollege football, yes, Crystal! The first Bama game is next Saturday, I can't wait!
Delete1. It used to be the foliage turning, but living in Florida now... It also used to be the Halloween displays popping up early, but not they have popped up earlier (and I am beginning to detect Halloween displays). It also used to be that schools started after Labor Day, but here in Florida it started two weeks ago. (Why?)
ReplyDelete2. Nothing, nada, zip. I wear my tee shirts and shorts year-round. Even the chilliest day here seems like beach weather back in New England.
3. Yes, chili. Also hot chocolate. Although I have no philosophical objections to pumpkin spice, that darned creation is showing up everywhere: pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin spice donuts, pumpkin spice hamburgers, pumpkin spice pizza, pumpkin spice automobile accessories...it boggles the mind and makes me feel that we are all slaves to perverted marketing trend.
4. Being extra cautious driving through school zones. Noticing political signs and realizing that none of them explain what a candidate's stance is. Now that Jack has started high school and I am kin the pickup car lane every afternoon, I look at how students are dress today and realize how old, old, old I am. (Not to place the blame on anyone, but Jeffrey Epstein would have a field day with the outfits some of the girls are wearing. However, it is good to see students wearing things that make them feel comfortable and that express their personalities -- or whatever personalities they are exploring that week. The time will come for regimented dress once they enter the work force; until then, enjoy your youth.)
5. Going back to school. Hoping there might be a class or two that would grab my attention and excite me, but more because I would reconnect with old friends and (hopefully) meet new ones. Also, I have always been a fall person -- it's the most beautiful season of the year!
Jerry, students are dressed pretty casually today to say the least! When I was in school K-12 girls had to wear dresses or skirts and pants were strictly forbidden. I would never have even thought to wear anything else but a skirt or dress - it never crossed my mind. But, a year after graduation the hippy movement was big and I was off to college with nothing but blue jeans which included a pair or two of bell bottoms.
DeleteJerry, I laughed at pumpkin spiced automobile accessories until I realized they're probably real! When Jack's out of school for the Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day weekend, you should take a quick trip up to Maine. The foliage will be perfect then.
Delete1. The days shorten and the light changes, it's always makes me feel melancholy.
ReplyDelete2. Jeans for the first time since about June!
3. We still have tons of tomatoes, and the local farms still have delicious corn. I'm not ready for stew and soup yet.
4. This year I am planting native pollinators in my former front yard, to give them a head start for the spring. A great new project, getting rid of the ratty lawn and helping out the bees and butterflies.
5. A new lunch box with a pear in it. Pears always taste like fall to me. Plus new notebooks and pens, like everyone else!
Edith, we planted a pollinator garden about 5 years ago. Dug it up once, added lots of compost and then put in all new plants - fresh from the garden center and with no weeds attached, hopefully. Then each spring, I have finger weeded and added compost as a mulch - then did nothing. Now 5 years later the butterfly bush is over 6 ft tall, and surrounded by hollyhocks, milkweed, delphiniums, tall phlox, Monarda, Liatrus, and Asters - and filled with bees and butterflies. It is no work and just a joy!
DeleteI would also suggest Black-eyed Susans - they become a beautiful plague.
To add to Margo's excellent suggestion, I will add Great Blue Lobelia. It spreads, but doesn't bloom until late summer, which is a critical time for pollinators. And it is a beautiful blue, and makes a delightful cut flower.
DeleteI'm going to add a plug for wild flowers - don't weed them away! The butterflies, bees and hummingbirds are loving the Dame's rocket, Queen Anne's Lace, and goldenrod (yes, goldenrod! It turns out most allergies aren't of that plant, but of it's less showy cousin, ragweed.)
DeleteThe black-eyed Susans are a bit of a plague, but ours are usually luminous all through the summer and into the fall. This year, however, even with watering, they are burnt to a crisp.
Delete1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
ReplyDeleteHalloween items begin appearing in the stores.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
Light sweaters
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
pass
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
pass
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
The Fall TV Guide.
Another Fall TV Guide fan! Thank you Dru Ann, I feel much less silly for adding it to my list.
DeleteThanks for that fun reminder, Dru! I loved the fall TV Guide.
Delete. 1.What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
ReplyDeleteCrisp days and turning leaves, cooler temperatures. I love the fall
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ? My favorite purple fleece zip front jacket.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....? Crockpot stews, particularly the 'Greek chicken thighs' recipe.
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror? This is hard, my to-do list is too long as it is. At some point, I will put away the hoses, but not yet.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant... back to school! I loved starting each new year with new clothes and school supplies. September always feels like a new-beginning time for me.
Gillian, will you share your recipe for the slow cooker Greek chicken thighs?
DeleteYes Gillian, I would like the Greek Chicken Thigh recipe too!
DeleteSure it's easy...Start with a package of 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs. The recipe doesn't say to cut them up, but I do because when I first started making this, it was for my elderly parents and dad had very few teeth. I brown them in a little oil with salt and pepper. They go into the slow cooker with 3 or 4 carrots (peeled and cut up), some onion (I like using the little boiler onions, but they require a quick boil to get the peels off. Cutting up an onion works fine too). Then you add a can of tomato paste, juice of one lemon, 1/2 a cup of dry sherry (or apple juice per the recipe) and 2 tablespoons of oregano. 1 cook it on high for about 4 hours. The house smells really good while it's cooking. I usually make brown rice (cooked in chicken broth) to go with it.
DeleteGillian, that sounds fantastic! I'm going to share this recipe with my son, who's using his crockpot a lot in order to eat healthfully (and much less expensively.)
DeleteThanks, Gillian! That sounds terrific. And I just stuck a package of chicken thighs in freezer yesterday, and I think we have everything else!
DeleteYum. Thanks
DeleteIn southern Calif we get the hot desert winds called Santa Anas and Sept/Oct can be our hottest months, while May and June are our coldest months. But still there is something in the air in autumn that feels different. Kids used to look forward to going back to school after Labor Day, but now (at least in our school district) they returned in the second week of August. I'm seeing lots of pumpkin spice - which I've never tried. I must try this year!!
ReplyDeleteif it's not pumpkin spice, Anon, it's the Hallowe'en displays popping up in stores. My local Hanneford had Hallowe'en candy in the season aisle the last week of August!! Clearly, we need some sort of identifiable holiday or event between August 31st and November 1st.
Delete2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ? You don’t wear anything white after Labour Day!
ReplyDeleteUnless you're Rhys, who decided to flaunt the rules QUITE fashionably!
Delete1) Weather – usually a hurricane. This weekend was rain, rain, and more rain and wind. Over 200 mm which is over 7” of rain. Overnight. Yup – definitely wet. The deck of the wharf is now driftwood somewhere down the lake. The Catalpa tree is sporting fewer limbs, but good news – the septic system did not supply spare poop to the basement bathroom – Yeah! All the cats moved into the house – at least for one day.
ReplyDelete2) Long pants, but they have been off and on all summer. Needed to weed in – dirt is hard on the knees. Now they are needed for too much more clean-up gardening, and hard to admit to it – warmth.
3) Who knows if it will be goodbye to tomatoes – they have NOT set fruit yet. Not one feed of fried green tomatoes so far. However, we have the most beautiful field of black-eyed susans – they self-seeded. Locally at the farmer’s stand, there is now fresh corn available, and cauliflower and broccoli, new potatoes, and in the stores – chocolate bars. My stash from last Halloween just ran out. I like the Wonderbar, Crispy Crunch group.
4) To do – well there is still and what seems to be will be forever clean-up of my sister’s junk. I wish I did not have a conscience and could just throw it out!
5) I always felt that Labour Day and the weekend associated with it was the saddest day of the year. Summer and freedom and the lack of people was over and we had to go back to town, rules, and people. It became worse when our kids went to school – I felt I just rented them on the weekends and the rest of the time they belonged to someone else. After a year, they would be returned – different.
6) The last of the Monarchs will soon be leaving – we raised about 20 this year. More than last year, but still a paltry number. These were not tagged as I did not order any labels – they were too late starting. I am really interested in the radio tagging going on now and having fun watching as people are following their paths. I am going to try and see if that might be available to ordinary people next year, as I would love to do it. So far, the ones that I see are released from a nature center in Toronto.
The monarchs have been showing up in my all-natural yard, Margo. Not as many as in years past; I do worry.
DeleteNot really answering your question, Julia, but I have to comment on your TV Guide thoughts. I was the same way. Just the other day I was thinking about that and remembering that I never watched the original Poldark because I had no idea what it was. If there had ever been a write-up I messed it or it went over my head. Too bad for me. Hmm, 1975-1977. I thought maybe I was too young but I guess that wasn't the case.
ReplyDeleteSchool here starts tomorrow; in the next district it starts on Friday. I know that most schools around the country started last week.
BTW, what a beautiful church picture. I wonder what year the church was built?
ReplyDeleteTo clarify - the church photo above under Lucy's thoughts.
DeleteAnon, that's St. Luke's, east Greenwich, Rhode Island. It reminded me of one of my beloved childhood churches.
DeleteAnd I just checked, the building was completed in 1838.
DeleteIt is so beautiful. I'll have to read up more abiut it.
DeleteSo the guy who owned TV Guide for many years lives across the alley from where my daughter and son-in-law lived for 10 years in Michigan. He is a neighborhood character.
ReplyDelete1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
The leaves start to fall, regardless of the temperature. We need cooler temps to get them to turn, though. Here in Southwest Ohio, the weather takes a long time to make up its mind, and we usually get more than one "Indian Summer".
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
Dark colors, and jewel tones, which I like so much better than the pastel summer ones. My favorite garments are cozy and warm: corduroy, wool, cashmere. I like in turtleneck sweaters in the cold months.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Apples.
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror?
All the stuff I didn't do while I was working outside in the garden! Forget spring cleaning. I do fall cleaning.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
School, because I loved it so much, and that my birthday was coming soon. I also liked getting new school clothes, although having an October 5th birthday meant that was pretty much all I could expect for gifts.
I live in turtlenecks.
DeleteKaren, all school clothes for your birthday is unfair! Although, as a mother myself, I can absolutely see the reasoning behind it...
DeleteMy mother was very good at choosing clothes for me, and I still love putting together a wardrobe. But it meant I only got school clothes, and no extra gifts. C'est la vie.
DeleteA very nice post. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVeronica Cole
I'm glad you enjoy it, Veronica!
Delete1. Growing up in Northern California, theoretically pre-global warming, the weather definitely changed and got cooler. Not in San Diego currently. As Anon said above, we get Santa Ana winds and increased fire danger. (And for the record, I saw my first Halloween decoration in Costco on July 2nd! BEFORE Independence Day!!)
ReplyDelete2. Nothing at this point, but eventually long pants and a lightweight hoodie. Eventually might be November 1st….
3. We only planted our tomatoes in early August so just picked our first three tomatoes this weekend! I do love crockpot meals and soups/stews, but I think we’re going to keep barbecuing for a little bit. (Who’m I kidding? We bbq all year round.)
4. Nothing in particular.
5. I, too, loved the Fall Preview TV Guide! School was an opportunity to see friends and wear new clothes, but I don’t remember being excited about school itself. — Pat S
Pat, Karen was talking about school clothes, and that reminded me of who much time and how many outfit changes went into choosing that all-important first day of school outfit!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming? -- leaves starting to fall, geese overhead honking aways as they south, crisper mornings, darker evenings earlier
ReplyDelete2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ? Like Lucy, a down vest and like Julia a light wool sweater
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....? Here in Manitoba, we are still harvesting tomatoes. Local strawberries, raspberries and corn are long over but I am still dodging "friends" who want to give me zucchini...
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror? In a few weeks, deconstructing the garden and all the pots that have had colourful annuals in them all summer. And then raking the leaves from the elm trees.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant... Like Debs and Hank, new school supplies! Those never get old.
Amanda, I'm laughing at the zucchini, the garden gift that keeps on giving..and giving...and giving. I recall one late summer when my aunt, who had either overplanted or who just got 'lucky,' made us kids go out at dusk and stuff bundles of zucchini into neighbor's mail boxes!
DeleteOh my, Julia. That was NOT neighbourly of your aunt...though it is amusing as a story!!
DeleteI wrote a long comment but it disappeared and now I have no time.
ReplyDeleteIt is going down to 37° F tonight here. Hugs to all! (Selden)
Oh, Selden, that's when you know the harder days are coming. Once the nighttime temperatures drop, you never catch up again...
Delete1 Although the decreased daylight has been creeping up on us since the end of June, it is a lot more
ReplyDeleteobvious now. Falling leaves.
The one positive thing is the cooler weather decreases the number of biting disease carrying insects
2 Heavier covering on the bed at night. Long sleeve tops.
3 It’s the blueberries in my yogurt that I will miss. The frozen ones just don’t have the same texture and
don’t taste the same. I do look forward to the apples
4 Putting away summer clothing
5 Always had some new clothing and school supplies
The one thing I never liked was being asked to write what did you do on your summer vacation
because my family didn’t go any where special.
I always did a lot of reading, but that was something I did all year perhaps just more of it in the
summertime.
Anon, my summers were largely devoted to reading. One thing I didn't like about the start of the school year was having less time for fun reads, because I had required reading and homework.
Delete1. Leaves are falling and the college students are back. Downtown is busy!
ReplyDelete2. All my sweatshirts come out of the cedar chest.
3. Good apples.
4. More outside work. It's too hot in the summer!
5. Back to school. New school supplies. New TV shows or the return of favorites.
Pat, I was talking to Youngest yesterday and asked her what felt different about the start of September in The Hague. She said it was the streets and trams getting crowded again by residents returning from their long August holiday, and even more so, the students returning to the University of Leiden.
DeleteCannot remember all of the questions except for one - what is the first thing I pull out of my closet when it is autumn/fall? My favorite Cozy sweater. I love the coming fall because the air becomes crispy and I can finally wear clothes that fit me. I'm a double D cup, which makes it more challenging to shop for clothes that fit me. Wish I knew how to sew together clothes patterns so I could make my own clothes.
ReplyDelete1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
ReplyDeleteThat bite in the early morning air
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
Sweat shirts of course
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Apples, squash, mums
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror?
I no longer fuss with to do lists. But I suppose I should bring the orchids inside before it gets too cold
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant... SCHOOL!!!
Fall comes with shorter days and the sun lower in the sky. The sycamore trees are dropping their leaves.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I pulled my ratty hoodie out of the closet, perfect for early morning yard chores and walking the dog.
Local orchard apples in many varieties! I study the huge chart at the produce market for the best cooking, pie, and eating apples.
Fall is consumed by doing all the weeding and mulching I didn't do over the HOT and HUMID summer. I'm also planting shade perennials.
School supplies! It never gets old. I used to dread Mom's home perm treatments the week before school started.
Oh,lord...those awful Toni home perms! I don't know which was worse...the smell or the end result. To add insult to injury my mother would add generous gobs of Dippity-Do to my hair as well. When that stuff dried I could go through a wind tunnel and nothing would move.
DeleteA strange change if seasons happens in the high latitudes. When i visited family in Bergen, Norway, summer has sbout 16+ hours of sunlight then September starts with about 13 hours of daylight, but by the end of November, it plunges to just 7 hrs of sun.
ReplyDelete1. What's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming?
ReplyDeleteEven though it's still Daylight Savings, I notice how dark the evenings are getting.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ?
I start wearing socks again!
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....?
Swiss grapes, red, blue, and green. YUM.
4. What do you add to your to-do list once summer is in the rear-view mirror?
To get a big chrysanthemum in a pot for the living room.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...
New children's books that my mother ordered for the school library where she worked.
Love this and all the responses! I am chuckling, though at some of the heat-related responses. (and Julia, I think you can relate) I'm in so far north you can already smell the snow from here Maine, after all!).
ReplyDeleteWhat's something that happens after Labor Day to tell you fall is coming? Red and yellow tinges are few of the maples I call the bellwethers. It usually happens in mid-August, but the full-on color change waits for mid-September - usually.
2. What's the first thing you pull out of your closet that says, "It's fall now" ? Ah, Flannel sheets, flannel jammies, wool cardigans, and my sherpa-lined yoga pants and sweatshirts. So far, only the sheets and sweaters are still in the closets.
3. Goodbye, strawberries and homegrown tomatoes, hello....? Soups, chicken and dumplings, and stews. Yum. Can't wait. Hasn't been quite cold enough, but I have stopped debating whether to use the oven due to the heat. It's all good now.
4. What do you add to your to-do list one summer is in the rear-view mirror? Remembering the flashlight when I walk the dog at 4AM. We don't leave our property, but yesterday morning something big scurried up the hill. Not sure what.
5. When I was a kid, I was excited about September because it meant...School starting and school supplies. Does anything smell better that an unused notebook and freshly sharpened number 2 pencils?
The first thing I start to notice that Fall is on the horizon is the difference in the early morning air. After Labor Day, the dawn temperatures are cooler and drier minus the humidity that comes with summertime. Sometimes there is a faint smell of ocean air that rolls in with a low cloud of early morning fog. Sweet and salty it's a reminder of why I love living near the Atlantic Ocean. As the temperature readings during the day and evening start to tip further "south" on the outdoor thermometer I start thinking about switching over to my LL Bean flannel "Jim jams" although the cotton flannel fabric is much thinner than it used to be. :-( Goodbye to summer corn...the butter and sugar and Silver Queen varieties....and (eventually) hello to the winter squashes such as Acorn or Butternut which is my favorite. September here in the northeast is apple picking season although noticeably absent from the commercial choices this year is the ever reliable Macintosh variety. Several other apple varieties are available in the grocery stories but not one bin is filled with Macintosh. I discovered while doing a little gumshoe investigation that the Mac has fallen out of favor with the generations behind my "boomer" peer group at least commercially. But apparently it is still being grown in most of the northeast apple orchards where one can pick their own apples. However, I also read that some of the farmers have reduced their Macintosh acreage due to lack of demand; it's not as popular as it used to be. Too many other trendy or well-liked varieties to choose from now. Hopefully, though, there will always be Macs available for us holdouts when it comes to this old variety of apple. October means our annual Pumpkin Hunt as well as antiquing at our favorite store, Nesting, in Concord, MA. Lunch at Concord Colonial Inn and dessert (homemade ice cream) at Bates Farm in Carlisle, MA. As for my list of projects to do as summer ends there is the change of decor both inside our home and outside in our garden to welcome Autumn. If possible right on the Autumn Equinox which is 9/22 this year. I love changing out wreaths and pillow covers as well as welcoming pumpkins, pinecones, lanterns, lighting and other seasonal decor to "cozy everything up". Too much Martha? (Stewart)...I don't know...I think she would say "it's a good thing." :-)
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