The Blessings of Fall

 

By G. E. Shuman

 

Fall is always my favorite season and fall in Vermont is always the reason. (Hey, that rhymed, if only in a ‘Seussical’ way.)

Truthfully and truly, I love fall here in our state. Most years, but maybe not this one, part of that love comes from getting outside in the beautiful, cooler days and away from the heat of a sizzling summer. Most families, in those ‘most’ years, had recently put away the camper, stowed the beach toys and the lawnmower, and welcomed the cooler, crisper weather.

All of that, of course, doesn’t much apply to this particular year. This past summer it has only seemed to stop raining long enough to dry your hair before the next storm approached. The flooding that occurred on July 10^th. (That’s my birthday, but don’t blame me.) was brutal; the recovery, for many, has been a nearly superhuman feat. All in all, it was not a summer to worry much about getting a sunburn.

Still, even at the end of a depressingly wet and nerve-wracking summer season, we have this wonderful fall experience to look forward to in our state. The apples are as cool, crisp, and juicy as ever; bright orange pumpkins adorn the farm stands and grocery stores, just as they do every year. Corn mazes will thrill children and adults once again, and those beautiful, loved and cursed, crisp dry leaves will soon cover our lawns. This I’ve said before: If it does choose to rain on those coming brittle leaves go outside, be quiet, and listen to what sounds exactly like bacon frying. Who doesn’t like that?

I think that, especially in this very trying year, it is good to notice the ‘good’ things around us. There will be harvest moons and Halloween, just as always with ghosts and witches adorning porches and store windows, and before you know it, even those things will pass as Vermonters gear up for another bountiful Thanksgiving and sparkling Christmas season.

We have much to be thankful for here in the Green Mountain State. Not the least of which is the wonderful fall season we are just now entering. Enjoy!