Fall

It is now September 23rd, two days after the official start of Autumn.  This is my favorite time of the year.

As a child, it meant the start of a new school year.  I didn't do particularly well in school, so it wasn't that I loved the studying or learning aspect of it.  But I loved getting to see friends again.  And I loved the excited feeling of beginning a new grade.

In high school, it meant the start of hunting season.  I've never been much of a hunter, really.  Actually, I don't classify myself as any kind of hunter.  Our hunting trips usually meant shooting our limit of coke cans and plastic bottles.  But I loved being outdoors, camping and shooting.  And I loved hanging out with my best friend, Dewayne (everyone called him Bubba).  I loved the early morning campfires, and the cold in my face.  Some of my favorite memories were of those trips to his family's land in Brownsboro.

It also meant the arrival of my favorite holidays.  I loved Halloween (I still do), and Christmas was my very favorite, for obvious reasons.  Presents, certainly, but it was so much more.  I love the festive lights and decorations; the pretty Christmas tree; and the fact that most of the family seemed happier during that time.

It meant my brother, Stuart, and I would begin our tradition of wrapping each other's presents in a way that disguised what might be inside.  Sometimes, that meant wrapping a coin he wanted to add to his collection inside a shoe box, with a large rock, and some thumbtacks in a Sucrets can.  Other times, I meant wrapping a small box in a larger box, in a larger box, etc.  And each one had to be individually wrapped to prolong the joy of unwrapping.

And the night before Christmas meant Stuart and I would be in our bunk beds, guessing what Santa had brought us.  When we were really young, it also meant a middle of the night trip to creep out through the hallways and peak, long before mom or dad were awake.  We didn't walk right in to see everything...just a tiny sliver of it.  Then at 6:00, when we had permission to wake them, it was off to dad's room to wake him, and then to mom's.  And we had to wait until they had a cup of coffee before we hurried to the front room, where Christmas was waiting.

I know a lot of people have grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all around on Christmas morning. We only had the four of us.  But I never felt cheated.

Eggnog was also one of my favorite things about Christmas.  As an adult, I'm thankful it is only a Christmas-time treat.  If it were available all year, I would either grow sick of it, or weight 800 pounds.  Or both.

A lot of people like Fall, for various reasons.  The changing of the leaves is one I hear a lot.  Living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, we don't have as many tress as a lot of places, but I do enjoy the different colors around this time of year.

People here like the the Stock Show and Rodeo, and the State Fair.  I've never been to the Stock Show.  And I've only been to the Fair three or four times in my life.  I'm an animal lover, but the Stock Show just never seemed interesting to me.  Rodeos are kind of fun, and I've been to several, but not at the Stock Show.  The Fair can be fun, but I usually feel it is too crowded, and expensive, to warrant the hassle.  Granted, if my wife decides she wants to go, I'm game.  And I will have fun once I get there.  The few things I enjoy at the Fair are the car pavilions, the animals, and of course, the food.  Way overpriced, and just about as unhealthy as anything you could eat, some of the items are found nowhere else but the Fair.  And they deserve an entire blog all to themselves.  All that being said, I seldom feel a loss if I don't go.

My wife loves Fall because it means Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks.  I love pumpkin pie, but never found a taste for the PSL, as she longingly refers to her favorite coffee flavor.  And since the introduction several years ago, everyone seems to have jumped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon.  PS candy, gum, candles, snack cakes, Pop-Tarts....I was playing around on the Internet, building a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and it has the option of a pumpkin spice lift-kit.  Well, it doesn't, but I might suggest it.  At least PS wheels and tires.  If it catches on, they may give me a Jeep as a thank you.  I'll take mine without the pumpkin spice, please.

As an adult, one of the things I enjoy most about Autumn is the cooler weather.  I was never bothered by playing football, or soccer when it was 100° outside.  Now, even as an adult, if I'm invited to play soccer, I will happily join, although I can't run as long, as fast, or stay in the heat all day like I could in years past.  In general, the older I get, the more the heat bothers me.  And when the crispness of the Fall air begins to show, I find myself with a little more pep in my step.

Autumn also means we can sit outside occasionally in the evenings.  Generally, there are fewer bugs around, although it can also mean they are trying to find their way into our warm home.  I can sometimes drive with the windows down on the truck, which is great since my AC is getting temperamental in its old age.  And we can open the house windows in the evening for fresh air.  And the smell of fireplaces in the air puts a smile on my face.

So, in spite of the temperature being in the mid-nineties today, I know the cooler weather is just around the corner.  And with it, Halloween, fireplaces, open windows and Christmas.  And Pumpkin Spice Lattes.