ahhh, fall.
The weather has turned. Until Sunday morning, those of us in the lovely Alaskan interior (or at least on our little hill) were enjoying unusually warm weather. The leaves were changing, the underbrush turning red and orange, the high bush cranberries releasing a scent of sweet fermenting but despite the obvious signs, it didn't really feel like fall. The sun kept shining, the winds weren't blowing much, the sweatshirt I faithfully threw into the truck each day mostly stayed there as I enjoyed the lingering warmth.
But yesterday, it all changed. It was cold in the morning, and when I looked outside, it was grey and still. I decided to drink my coffee in front of the window instead of outside on the deck. We decided it was time to do those "getting ready for winter" chores and headed outside while it was still cool. As we burned brush, picked and turned the garden, put away the deck furniture and mowed the lawn for (hopefully!) the last time this year, the air I breathed was fall air. Even when it warmed up in the afternoon, there was a crispness and a clarity to the air that seemed to be forcing my body to acknowledge the facts of nature. Soon, those leaves will all be off the trees. The frost will be thick on the windshield in the morning, and there will be a skin of ice on top of the dog water bowls. Snow is waiting. Waiting.
It's been a long time since I've been able to get outside every day, at different points in the day, and experience fall in Alaska. I love fall. I love the promise of change and the idea of cozy winter days and invigorating outside adventures. I love fall because it feels nostalgic. The last thoughts of summer hold on like the bachelor buttons in the flower bed, their color a promise of brightness and energy despite the cooling temps and yellows that surround them. Fall is my season of reflection; it seems designed to allow me to sit down, breathe in, breathe out, and just think about things. Fall is appreciative, the changing leaves celebrate both the summer they're leaving and the winter yet to come. The days linger and seem to draw out, begging to be enjoyed.
I've been a teacher for 15 years and had each summer off work to re-energize and reinvigorate myself. It's been harder and harder to find that boost and feel refueled to enter school in the fall. I realize now that it's because summer, even when you're not employed, is a time of work. Because the winters are so long, summer itself puts pressure on me to get things done, to get out and do things. Summer is too nice to stop and reflect, to just stop and sit and think. Fall is the time for that.
So today and sit, and enjoy the cool air I breathe and the fortune I have in circumstance that allows me the fall.
But yesterday, it all changed. It was cold in the morning, and when I looked outside, it was grey and still. I decided to drink my coffee in front of the window instead of outside on the deck. We decided it was time to do those "getting ready for winter" chores and headed outside while it was still cool. As we burned brush, picked and turned the garden, put away the deck furniture and mowed the lawn for (hopefully!) the last time this year, the air I breathed was fall air. Even when it warmed up in the afternoon, there was a crispness and a clarity to the air that seemed to be forcing my body to acknowledge the facts of nature. Soon, those leaves will all be off the trees. The frost will be thick on the windshield in the morning, and there will be a skin of ice on top of the dog water bowls. Snow is waiting. Waiting.
It's been a long time since I've been able to get outside every day, at different points in the day, and experience fall in Alaska. I love fall. I love the promise of change and the idea of cozy winter days and invigorating outside adventures. I love fall because it feels nostalgic. The last thoughts of summer hold on like the bachelor buttons in the flower bed, their color a promise of brightness and energy despite the cooling temps and yellows that surround them. Fall is my season of reflection; it seems designed to allow me to sit down, breathe in, breathe out, and just think about things. Fall is appreciative, the changing leaves celebrate both the summer they're leaving and the winter yet to come. The days linger and seem to draw out, begging to be enjoyed.
I've been a teacher for 15 years and had each summer off work to re-energize and reinvigorate myself. It's been harder and harder to find that boost and feel refueled to enter school in the fall. I realize now that it's because summer, even when you're not employed, is a time of work. Because the winters are so long, summer itself puts pressure on me to get things done, to get out and do things. Summer is too nice to stop and reflect, to just stop and sit and think. Fall is the time for that.
So today and sit, and enjoy the cool air I breathe and the fortune I have in circumstance that allows me the fall.
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