Celebrating Autumn

        My favorite season of them all!  How do I enjoy September, October and November?  By:


***decorating our front porch with chrysanthemums, usually in shades of yellow and gold and rust, sometimes wine.  Of course, I have to add just the right pumpkins.  I check them out at the roadside stands as though they're going to be permanent, so important is it to get just the right shape and size, with a stem that curls just so and has a touch of green on it.  And always now that I have him, I put out Cletus, our harvest figure.  He's the cutest little fellow, about 3 feet high, with a farmer's cover-alls, plaid shirt, straw hat and happy expression on his face.  When I found him at Wal-Mart some years ago, just knew he was the one I had to take home.  Asked a friend who grew up here in Tennessee, "What's a good Southern name for a farmer?"  She thought for awhile, and same back with Cletus.

***taking a drive through the countryside, exploring back roads, to see pumpkins growing in the fields--so delightful to me.

***eating crisp apples and cinnamon donuts.  I've even added yummy hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream over at Starbucks, imbibed outside early on chilly mornings.  My favorite spot is a table at one corner of the building where the cold winds come whistling around.

***reveling in autumn leaves.  I make angels in the leaves on our neighbor's hill (yes, I do this); standing outside when leaves are pelting down just like I'm standing under a rain shower, rejoicing as they land in my hair; rolling in a pile of just-raked leaves with one of our dogs who gets a kick out of messing everything up.

***sleeping with the windows open.  (Is there anything quite like non-air conditioned air?)

***taking the time to watch October's mellow golden sun stream through wind-rippled branches and perform a ballet across rug, bookcase, and wall--one of nature's many magic shows.

***in order to have our yard light up come spring, planting dozens of daffodils, putting in pretty-faced pansies.


You fellow autumn-aficiandoes no doubt have your own rituals to celebrate this season, but these are some of mine.


(This essay is from my 2011 book, "Sitting On a Rock, Thinking")