Quick one today gang. I’m up to my earlobes in an extremely sub-par translation of Canterbury Tales (also no one in class got my “whatte the swyve?” joke, clearly these people were raised by wolves and/or gypsies. ooh! or gypsies that TURNED INTO WOLVES. Also I will die alone.)
However, the weather is getting cooler and I was actually chilly (and not just emotionally!) this morning as I wended my way around town and even though I have no conviction that Texas has seen its last 90 degree day I’m ready for the autumn to begin.
Today Miss Plumcake wants to know:
What signals the Official Start of Fall for you?
Autumn is here when I turn off the AC and open the bedroom windows at night — and wake in the morning burrowed under the comforter because it’s almost too chilly.
Comment by rabrab — September 17, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
When all those Halloween shops open up! Autumn is the time of icky vinyl costumes and sweaty latex masks of our politicians and action heroes.
Ah Olde Englyshe! Do you know that Geoffrey Chaucer hath a blog? It ys hott!http://houseoffame.blogspot.com/
Comment by SusanC — September 17, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Autumn is when the road signs for pumpkin-picking, hot apple cider, and cornfield mazes start popping up. Also, the apples start to become absolutely crisp, sweet, and amazingly delicious. (The apples here are not wonderful year-round…)
Comment by Nikki — September 17, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
I was going to say the same thing as the first poster. Fall is when you can open the windows and give the A/C a break. *sigh* I’m a weirdo- I love Fall!
MightayMightay @ Brickhouse
Comment by MightayMightay — September 17, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
Fall is the BEST! I kinda hate summer, which is one reason I live in Maine. Fall is when the beach tourists are replaced by leaf-lookers, the trees go crazy with color, the sandals start to get too cold and the tights actually look appealing.
Comment by Jane — September 17, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
When I put away the summer clothes and pull out the sweaters and wool skirts.
Comment by Cat — September 17, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
All of the above. I love Fall!
Comment by gemdiva — September 17, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
My official start of fall is the Labor Day fireworks, which Cincinnati does in a BIG way. My unofficial, feel-it-in-my-guts start of fall is the first time I hear footsteps crunching through fallen leaves. I’m hearing that a little prematurely this year, though, since the remains of Ike blew stripped our trees on Sunday. But the weather is cool, so that sound in this air does the trick. Fall is here!
Comment by Karen — September 17, 2008 @ 9:47 pm
First good crisp apple of the season. Which means it started Tuesday of last week, technically.
Comment by Violet — September 17, 2008 @ 9:52 pm
Purple asters and tall Goldenrod are the wildflowers in bloom, sumac leaves just begin to flame, and the whole world smells like wine is being made. I want to wear a suede skirt and boots instead of linens and sandals; and instead of salad, I want to eat dessert.
Comment by ChaChaHeels — September 18, 2008 @ 6:52 am
When I remove the last traces of toenail polish and know I won’t bother with pedicures for months, and breath a sigh of relief as daily leg shaving becomes a memory. Time to reach for the (wooly and jewel-toned) tights!
Comment by Marietta — September 18, 2008 @ 9:52 am
HOCKEY. HOCKEYHOCKEYHOCKEY. great mother, i have so missed hockey! yeah, i know that it’s practically summer before someone wins the Cup, but when your team didn’t even make the playoffs last go-round, it’s a long, long off-season.
(N.B.: the preceding was brought to you by an actual fan of the “best game you can name” and NOT someone who approves in any way of a certain well-known lipsticked hockey mom)
Comment by morgaine — September 18, 2008 @ 9:54 am
I live in eastern Idaho, and fall seems to start when the local schools let out for two weeks for spud harvest. And also when I start sleeping better, because I sleep best all snuggled in a huge quilt or three with the window cracked just a bit so my bedroom is all chilly outside my cocoon.
Comment by Rachael — September 18, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Mmm. Fall is when I can put away the flimsy tank tops and bust out the gorgeous sweaters. And, even more exciting, my scarf collection! I do not subscribe to the wearing of scarves in warm weather, no, not even for fashion’s sake. All my scarves are warm and wonderful! I never really feel dressed until I can put on a scarf. Yay fall!
Comment by Anne (in Reno) — September 18, 2008 @ 10:57 am
That smell… you walk out your door one morning and inhale and your mind fills with new bookbags and bus schedules, layers (’cause it’s COLD in the morning and HOT by the afternoon), apples and cider, raking leaves, foggy breaths, crisp and clean sunlight, long walks that leave red noses, hot-and-cold kisses, boots and tights and sweaters and scarves and hats and mittens (though probably not all at once).
Of course, that’s all pretty fleeting in the North East. Soon you get the ice and snow, which is fun for like, 10 seconds, but gets old really fast.
Comment by Leah — September 18, 2008 @ 11:14 am
Autumn = Honeycrisp apples. Mmmmm, Honeycrisp! Most highly recommended for luscious snacking.
Comment by Chicklet — September 18, 2008 @ 11:27 am
Fall is my absolute favorite. I love waking up in the morning and having to close my window beacuse it’s gotten chilly. Fall means great sleeping weather, coming back to campus, the start of a new racing season, changing leaves, getting to wear my scarves/pashminas, pumpkin carving, and heading over to the orchard with my teammates after practice/brunch to find more to eat! Mmm…and cider. I love New England.
Comment by crewbie — September 18, 2008 @ 11:33 am
Viscerally, I start to anticipate fall the first time I am out and night and feel a certain chilliness to the air. Then I begin to notice that it’s darker earlier. Then I notice a lovely distant, muted quality to the sunlight. Here in Chicago, this started in early September. Other than a few day sin the 60s, the day time highs have been in the 70s, so it doesn’t feel like fall is entirely here yet.
Once the temperature drops reliably into the low sixties during the day or when the neighborhoods start decorating for autumn, I know that my favorite season is here.
Comment by OTM — September 18, 2008 @ 11:48 am
The first time the air is scented with a combination of fall leaves and woodsmoke (from woodstoves or fireplaces, not a forest fire). I wish we could have Fall lasting longer, and then transitioning directly to Spring, skipping Winter altogether. Then I’d be content.
Comment by La Petite Acadienne — September 18, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
I work with software developers, so I know that fall has officially arrived when they abandon wearing shorts and Keen sandals in favor of jeans and tennis shoes.
Comment by Orora — September 18, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
For the record, I snickered aloud at your “whatte the Swyve” comment. Bravo!
Autumn means: time to wear boots again. And time to make the last of the peaches and plums into cobbler instead of sorbet. Also, that wood smokey spicy smell is in the air. My favorite time of year!
Comment by Jenna — September 18, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
The return of COLLEGE FOOTBALL…and my beloved HOCKEY!
I’m totally with Morgaine…I’ve been waiting all summer for my team to take another shot at the Cup. Even though they did make the playoffs, they were dismissed early and its been a looooong summer (although the Olympics helped. And I’m also not a fan of the person who claims to be a lipsticked hockey mom either. Don’t drag my fave sport into politics!)
Comment by JayKay — September 18, 2008 @ 2:44 pm
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes! The whole rest of the year I can go without a latte. For expense’s sake, I buy brewed coffee. But beginning in September and going until whenever they run out, I drink pumpkin spice lattes!
Comment by HillaryGayle — September 18, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
It always used to be just after school had started. My route to school, and my bus stop in later years, was amid fields and fields of oat and barley. School starting, the harvest, and autumn always used to come at the same time.
Of course now I’m confused, as I go to university in a different country, and don’t even start school until it’s almost mid-October. (I’m shocked too!) I’m at my parents’ house still, and schools here started weeks ago…but not for me, so I’m not in that autumn state of mind yet!
Comment by Ingrid — September 18, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
Oooh, Anne (in reno), you’re so right about the scarves! I’ve got lovely colorful scarves too — but not for summer. Fall is also when I trim my long, summertime fingernails a bit shorter (for my gloves’ sake) and put away the pink nail polishes in favor of burgundies and deep reds and golds.
Comment by rabrab — September 18, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
I used to hate fall. That meant back-to-school and no more summer vacation. But now that I’m older, I enjoy seeing the colors change, the just-right temperatures, and seeing pumpkins and mums everywhere. October through November have become two of my favorite months.
Fall begins for me when I have to start breaking out long pants and wearing light jackets or sweaters in the morning on my way to work because it’s 50 degrees when you wake up. The air starts to get fresher and lighter, and the skies are a brilliant blue with no haze. The Halloween costumes and accessories start filling up the shelves, and people get more excited about football and start to not be as enthusiastic about baseball.
Comment by Bree — September 18, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
The salmon run, the end of the grape harvest, and the first trip to the pumpkin patch. The perfect Sunday afternoon, walking the back lane to the orchard on a path an inch deep in leaves as my kids chase each other through the trees, and dodge the leftover apples on the ground.
Comment by Bobbi — September 19, 2008 @ 12:01 am
I love fall! It officially starts today for me: wore a pair of boots for the first time this season. Yay!
Comment by lizb — September 19, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Ha — me too, lizb! I actually have my knee-high brown leather boots on today with a shirtdress and a pumpkin-coloured scarf. Definitely autumnal attire!
Comment by La Petite Acadienne — September 19, 2008 @ 10:57 am
Those of us in Texas are exceedingly short-changed on fall. We go straight from summer to a fairly mild winter (which usually happens in December) and then head into a way-to-skimpy spring sometime around end of February. If we do actually have a fall, they’re the best 10 days of the year.
Comment by AmelieWannabe — September 19, 2008 @ 11:17 am
Yes! Hockey! No going without pedicures because of problematic toes. I will miss wearing open toed sandals.
I work in San Francisco and it’s not like we have real summer until September.
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Comment by Dave — November 23, 2008 @ 3:51 am