RHYS BOWEN: I know it's Hallie's week, but I'm hijacking the post today as Hallie is up in Utah. And I'm mindful of what today is. September 20. Tonight is the fall equinox, when day and night are of equal length. It also marks the end of summer, beginning of fall.
And I am not happy.
I do not like fall. I admit the colors are lovely. I spent a wonderful hiking trip once in New Hampshire with the fall foliage at its best. But apart from that I am not pleased when the days get shorter and colder., the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees, the birds fly south. Fall says to me that winter is coming. Dark, cold days, rain beating on windows.
It means that we can't do our favorite walks, (the one pictured here is by the Bay) or we have to take our evening walk before five, which messes up the whole afternoon. I suppose it also symbolizes that relentless path to the end of life, which gets closer and closer every day.
I like spring with its flowers and scents and hope of longer, brighter days. I am a big fan of summer, unless it's too hot. For me summer means beaches, picnics, sitting on my balcony on long balmy evenings with a glass of wine, watching the lights come on, one by one, in the valley below and listening to the sounds of night--crickets, frogs, and occasional owl.
Another thing I do not like about fall is this obsession with all things pumpkin. I am not a fan of pumpkin spice anything, from candles to lattes. No no no. Today in Trader Joe's I saw the ultimate insult. My favorite little ice creams and look what they've done to them! Pumpkin ginger flavor! No!!!
I'm sure I'm going to get lots of comments saying that you all love fall and look forward to the coziness of winter. And I do enjoy the thought of an evening by the fire with a good book and a hot cocoa. But I'm essentially an outdoor sort of person. i like windows open in the house. I always take my lunch out onto the balcony to enjoy the view. And, I have to confess, that I do escape from winter by spending most of it in Arizona where the sky is blue and the temperatures are perfect.
So do I have any other fall-haters out there or am I the only one?
