Autumn

We seem to have gone from summer into fall almost overnight. I wonder why it always seems to happen like that. One day we're squawking about the heat and humidity and the next we're turning on the furnace. If there's a higher authority up there, they really could have designed our weather a little bit better.

Fall is the time I start to think about packing away the patio furniture and planning how I'll store the flower pots for the winter. It's also the time when I plan the colors I'll use for next year's garden. How many of us know we'll take that annual trip out into the countryside to marvel once again at the gorgeous fall colors that nature displays for us every year?

The fall fairs have already started but I usually attend only two of my favorite. One is in Caledonia, small but close to home, and the other is the Simcoe fair because it's large and full of interesting stuff. It's always nice to admire the crafts that talented people have created, too. If I cared enough, I'd enter one of my Swedish weaving afghans but it's not a craft too many Canadians can take up. You have to be able to go over to the States to buy the fabric because it's much too expensive here.

Autumn also means leaf raking which I don't have to do. If leaves fall early, I just run over them with the lawn mower. The bulk of dead leaves will be removed some time in November by my precious grandsons, thank heavens, because it's a tough job for this old gal. Remember making a leaf pile when you were a child and then jumping into it? I even remember the smell...sort of musty but earthy.

This year I'm able to look around my house and see how much I've downsized the collectibles and unnecessary items. It's a comfortable feeling knowing I don't have to make big plans to get rid of much more. I try to keep in mind that one day in the near future I'll be moving into an apartment which won't hold a lifetime of possessions.

It's only mid September and there's still a lot to do to prepare for winter but there will be many sunny and fair days yet to work outside and get it done. Fall is the season of putting to rest, waiting through winter, and rebuilding again in the spring. Today is a perfect autumn day to begin those chores.