I just arrived home from my fusion tribal belly dance class. I am thinking the word fusion means a fusion of sore muscles, sweat, and hips that don't lie. Hopefully I won't be too fused to go to work in the morning. Earlier this evening, The Baglady and I collaborated, using our collective comedic genius and ambassadorial-like personalities, pulling together a multi-(2)country list of good things about the fall season to counter my depressing post on crappy things about autumn.
My list is first because this is my blog and this depressing autumn nonsense originated inside my brain which obviously doesn't have enough to do between studying buddhism, meditation, NVC, and now, fusion tribal belly dancing (there were 3 high school girls there! Their hips lie!) Then it occurred to me on my drive home from fusion tribal belly dancing that maybe the universe concurs with the ending of my relationship with Chris so I could actually live this life instead of merely *pretending* to live it by trying to think of what I should cook him for dinner most nights. Guess that's another item to add to the list of things with which to thank Chris.
Below we offer our collaboration on good things about autumn from the U. S. and Canada. We invite you to add to the list in the comments. That way I can take all your comments and make them into one huge multi-country, multi-continental, genius-i-fied list of good things about autumn, and not whine about autumn ever again. Maybe I'll design one of those posters we'd put on our bedroom walls as radical teens we were in the 70s (not 1870s - smart ass!)that began with Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life...Then we can retire on the riches we'll gain from the sale of the poster. (I wonder what those people are doing now?)
Henceforth, we present:
Autumnal Desiderata
by POD and the Baglady
Wood stove fires (with only eco-friendly firewood)
Halloween, and all that goes with the day (and not wanting to eat candy)
Flavored, pumpkin-spice coffee type drinks (non-fat, no whip cream) at my favorite coffee place
Colorful fall foliage
Mulled anything, (I likes me some mulling. Should have been a muller.)
Piles of leaves
Windy days and rain storms
Fall flower, asters, chrysanthemums
New apples, cider and other fall fruits
Pumpkin patches, scarecrows
Fall harvest
Colorful farmer's market produce
Classes start
Winterizing the house
Splitting wood
Neck scarves (and not just to cover up a sagging neck!)
Jumping in piles of leaves that don't have dog-shit raked up in the pile
Fog from the ocean swelling up and over the house
Water for desperate forest trees - redwoods, madrones and oaks
Ripening persimmons hanging from the tree against a darkened sky
Cooler weather, crisp air
Wet, fallen leaves
Pumpkin guts
Harvest Festivals (I've never been to one but I've seen advertising signs.)
Harvest Festivus (for the rest of us!)
The Neil Young Song, Harvest Moon
Crickets
Every breath you take
Every cake you bake (sorry about those two)
Each moment I am consciousness of the grandeur of autumn
And from one of our fave (working outside the home and can hardly be bothered with us anymore) Canadian friends:
Six more months until spring.
Piles of leaves to rake up, then jump in
Piles of leaves to burn
The smell of burning piles of leaves (except when you scoop up and burn dog shit by mistake...)
The smell of cranberries in the bush. (Oh, wait - they smell like dirty socks. Never mind that one.)
The sound of geese honking - always makes me cry. (Might have to leave that off, too)
Ummm.... Halloween CANDY. Yeah, there's one. (Err, unless you're on a diet. Damn, forget that one, too.)
Harvesting the garden
Harvest Suppers. (I think that's a tradition that's gone by the wayside, though. Have you ever even heard of that?) (No, I have never heard of Harvest Suppers. I'm lucky if I eat a bag of popcorn for dinner. Tonight I ate a Skinny Cow.)
The pretty colours of the leaves turning. (Until the fucking wind blows them all off.)
Oh, wait, this is supposed to be a list of the good things about Autumn, isn't it? Well, there's only 6 more months until Spring!
17 comments:
hmmm.
I was gonna add my thoughts to you and your lovely friend's list but I have nothing.
for me fall was always the ominous cue in Pa. that the DOME (what we called it. the thick cloud cover which seemed to enter in october and keep the place glooomy and cold until May) was on its way.
I found I grew depressed (SAD. I shoulda gotten a lamp) in anticipation of that...so I moved :)
I do love me some HALLOWEEN though...
Fusion tribal belly dance sounds like lots of fun. I'm glad you went.
I know I'm the minority but one of the things I LOVE about autumn is that it means the winter snow will be here soon.
Call me crazy, I'm used to it. ;)
OMG...The Canadian Friends list cracked me up!
hmm - Autumn here is pretty [grudgingly admitted].
We burn wood in the wood burner.
We start going for Carvery Dinners at the pub instead of doing bbq in the garden.
The autumnal bulbs start flowering - they are always a nice surprise, as I forget they're there, then suddenly I have great pink lily type things everywhere.
Michaelmas daisies bring the last butterflies.
The hedgehog has to find a winter camp, and seems to get as fat as a hog in the process.
Boots! I love boots!
And soup. Although in the UK, it always seems to be tomato and basil? Yuck. Other soup than tomato and basil.
Rosehips.
Tidy fields.
Other than that, Autumn sucks, as Winter is close behind...and it lasts forever here...groan
Must get one of those lamps!
South Louisiana things to be thankful for in autumn:
The end is in sight for hurricane season.
The humidity is down from 90-100% to 80-90%.
The temperatures drop from the 90s to the 80s.
Nighttime temps sometimes touch on the 60s!
We only have to mow the lawn every 2 weeks.
Brown leaves on the trees and brown pine needles everywhere.
The afternoon rainstorms that pop up are sometimes unaccompanied by lightening that knocks us offline or off the power grid.
I am being a bit sarcastic, as with our unrelenting summer heat, we do look forward to the temperatures moderating at this time of year.
Halloween is loads of fun, too.
Thanks to you and Bag Lady for the lists -- you both made me smile.
What, no FOOTBALL!!
Great list!!
The return of fall clothes that hide all the flab!!!!!
That's my Baggie! POD, you've sure got the better outlook. Who knew you were such a positive thinker. :) Fun post, you two.
:)
I love fall...leaves turn, weather gets misty, Halloween, it's my birthday...thanksgiving and fowl suppers, oktoberfest...
Except for having to rake up all the damn leaves when it's over I love every minute of it :)
Thanks for the smiles :)
Great lists! I have to say that after 17 years of living in Texas, I relate to Messymimi's the most...there is nothing better than October in Texas - cool mornings, mild, 75 degree days, cool evenings - everyone comes out from their summer hibernation and enjoys the great outdoors again!
some more from me here in Cambridge MA (my fair city):
* The tourists are gone (but the students are back ...)
* Indian summer
* the crunch of a perfectly dry leaf under foot
* the summer stuff is all on sale!
* hot nights are over
* I don't have to fight my ice cream cravings so much
* I get the beach to myself - and the water is at its warmest
* Hearing the little voices outside in the morning as the kids head off to school
* Lots of stuff at the farmers market
* the birds don't wake me up quite so early
* the golden light on a crisp afternoon
* its a good time to paint the house
* sleeping with the window open under a puffy quilt
* the lovely rolling hills of a Vermont vista as the leaves turn
* new TV shows!
* the Molino tomatoes are ready ( how i miss those!!!! )
* the mosquitoes are getting sluggish
* wearing shorts, sandals with socks and a long sleeved shirt is a nice look
* off season travel rates
* I will get to go out and shovel snow with my neighbors in a few months.
* Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Years, MLK Day, Groundhogs Day, Presidents Day, and Valentines Day are coming!
* I can start planning a visit to SF in February to walk around wearing long sleeves, shorts and sandals with socks and smelling coffee jasmine and bread baking
You all have offered great suggestions. (except football - that is on someone else's list)
Lisa, you should call me so we can commiserate when you come to SF in Feb. ;-)
Having lived in two Big Ten (11) towns - I love the quiet of the town during a football game, and the faint roar of the crowd rolling over the air like waves crashing on the ocean.
I love wearing layers while not sweating or freezing.
I love that the early dusk brings the kids in a bit earlier and the colder air makes them more amenable to cuddling.
I love the perfume of firewood that always tinges the air, and the smell of leaves and clean air that the boys bring in on their clothes after spending a few hours playing outside.
I love pulling out the crockpot for white chili or soup - knowing that we'll have more time for goofing off because dinner's taken care of.
I also like weeding and seeding and cutting the garden to get ready for the long winter ahead - then decorating for Halloween and watching the parade of neighborhood kids display how their tastes have changed from Luke Skywalker to Zombie Pirate in the last year.
Okay, this list could go on forever. Thanks for reminding me that there's so much to like about the upcoming season.
Hi! I came here from The Bag Lady's blog which I love.
One thing that I like about autumn is football. I personally don't watch it but it's kinda like white noise when hubby has it on the television. It makes me feel cozy. Go figure.
Well, okay, there are a few good things about autumn, according to some of your commenters!
This was fun, POD - we'll have to do it again. I'll start thinking about a list of good things about winter.... of course, it's going to be really, really, REALLY short! :)
First, I had this really cool Snoopy black light poster...Snoopy doing his happy dance. I tried to find a copy of that a few years ago, and the friggin' thing cost $300!
Second, on my shopping list for today "Cast Iron Cornbread Pan" in anticipation of warm bowls of soup or a regular basis.
Being fifty and in Georgia, I am especially looking forward to fall this year and winter even more so. There use to be a day when 68 degrees felt cold, and right now I am doubting if I will ever wear socks again.
The two of you should do this more often! Very funny stuff.
And thanks for making my evening last night POD!! :-)
FYI: Calorielab is rolling again, like the Gators heading for the end zone :-)
I love the fall. Apples & pumpkins! Halloween, pretty trees/leaves, wearing jeans, planting bulbs, my birthday!
and
"pumpkin-spice coffee type drinks (non-fat, no whip cream)" oh, yes
Used to mean getting to know my new students when I taught at the university.
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