by G. E. Shuman
Fall is definitely my favorite time of year here in New England. I love the sight and scent of all those crunchy maple leaves on the trees and even on my lawn.
Well, about half a year from now, when winter finally gives way to flowers bursting forth in spring, spring might be my favorite time of year.
Actually, summer is pretty nice too, as my family loves visits to places like lakes and streams, and of course, the ocean.
Winter is not my favorite season, in any way. "Not nobody, not no how," as an Emerald City
door guard on The Wizard of Oz once said. Yes, people think that snow-laden trees and country lanes filled with fresh-fallen freezing fluff are just beautiful. Maybe, but spending a few hours of quality time behind my snowblower might make you wish for those spring flowers in a hurry.
For now, I like fall, the season we’re in. I have written before that even in a rainstorm, fall is fantastic. If you happen to be on a fall walk and it begins to sprinkle, take a minute to just stop and listen. Above or in between the sweet sounds of motorcycles and chainsaws, you may hear the rain hitting those fresh-fallen crispy leaves. If you do, you will find that it sounds EXACTLY like the sound of bacon frying. And, who doesn’t like bacon frying?
One thing about fall that makes it special to me is that my family still follows many traditions that we or our parents established long ago. Just a week ago, Lorna and I, with our granddaughter Nahla, visited our daughter Cathy and her growing family in Manchester, New Hampshire. Now that was a fantastic day! The air was brisk, the sun was out, fall colors were just everywhere, and we all loved it all. We, at Cathy’s leading, visited some very special local fall places, the kinds of which have popped up all over New England, just in time for the season.
We went apple picking at a huge and bountiful orchard, and got several bags of the crispy-est, juici-est most delicious-est apples I have tasted in years. And then we moved on and continued this great fall adventure!
In all we visited three different farms with farm stands, and bought cider, donuts and other fall-ish things. (I got some great squash. I love cooking fresh squash.) We took a hayride out into one of the huge fields of one of the farms and the excited kids picked their own pumpkins there. After all of that we went back to Cathy’s house where she made and served us a huge dish of DELICIOUS apple crisp from those great, crispy apples, while Nahla and our two great granddaughters carved their pumpkins at the table. Truthfully, that was a perfect day.
Time really is flying by, and, although it doesn’t seem possible, fall will soon turn to that season I’m not so fond of. For now, New England is simply gorgeous.
On the ride home, I noticed that many of the leaves out the car window seemed to be just the brown-red color of Lorna’s hair in the sunset. (Can anyone say “L’oreal, because I’m worth it.”?) Sorry Hon. (Hey, Lorna- L’oreal, pretty close.)
Soon the trees will turn to gray, and then to the color of MY hair. Yes, snowstorm white.
Such is life. My suggestion for you is to get out there among the sights, sounds, and scents of this beautiful crisp-apple fall, before it’s over.
No comments:
Post a Comment