Friday, October 5, 2007

Fall Begone

Where is the fall this year? I am asking. Hell, I think everybody is asking that question around where I live. It’s October already. The time when leaves turn into golden yellows and fiery reds and mellow oranges. There is a nip in the air. Vapor condenses as you chat with your neighbor, wearing a soft fleece jacket. I had these visions last fall. Of me and BigGeek and Chip in Fall of 2007. Raking leaves on the back lawn while Chip dives into them sending them flying everywhere. But of course mommy dear and daddy dearest don’t get all upset simply because an hour or two of hard work is going down the drain (no, that’s wrong. Going up in the air- that sounds better, no?) They join him, in slow motion - Chip, DotMom and BigGeek, arms up in the air, leaves falling by everywhere, wearing turtlenecks and flannel plaids in autumn-y colors, the sun setting on a quiet Saturday evening, mulled cider in steaming cups that stays miraculously warm for hours while we kick up our heels in the backyard without a care. Now rewind. Pause. And look at this scene through a lens fitted with a soft filter – now you see my vision of a puuurfect family, don’t you.

And it doesn’t end here. Sunday morning DotMom sneaks out of bed to make blueberry pancakes with golden butter (cholesterol issues here, ok golden BENECOL then) and grade A dark amber maple syrup (oh, how I love thee) washed down with a cup of perfectly brewed cappuccino. BigGeek and Chip come down the stairs, again in slow motion and soft filter, no sumo wrestling today to brush Chip’s teeth and dig into the pancakey goodness and then we all get dressed in the latest autumn fashion and drive to the pumpkin patch.

Ah. So was my Fall 2007 going to be. All planned in the Fall of 2006. But nature, as it is often known to do, has thwarted my carefully planned weekends. Fall is nowhere to be seen. A few weeks ago, I was fretting about having zero fall clothes. If I only knew the atrocious and down right ugly fall clothes the stores are selling this season - tunics in jersey fabric that cannot get any thinner and short sweaters with puffy sleeves. On me? No. Thankyouverymuch. Does nobody wear twinsets anymore? I would have happily worn my full-of-pills-sweaters and baggy t-shirts that I have long since purged. Only if I had known.

But I digress. Coming back to Fall or the lack there of. I am still wearing my nautical themed sailor’s golf shirt and capris. Chip is still wearing his shorts and t-shirts that are so tight now, he winces trying to get in or out of them. The temperature in the morning is still in its 70’s and by noon we are still hitting upper-80s. The leaves are still green and in places are simply withering to a dusty brown because of the rainless summer this year. No nice fall colors this year.

I like Fall. A lot. I like Spring too. I don’t care much for dog days of Summer and I like Winter only up until the New Year after which is gets very boringandcoldanddarkandgrayandsnowy. My love for nature is absolutely conditional.

My parents are going to Montréal this coming long weekend. To see the fall colors. The days there are nice and crisp, with a slight chill. Just like the perfect apple you bite into. And here we are. Stuck in a balmy October in our tanks and shorts, waiting for a real fall day to go to the pumpkin patch. Oh! Fall, where art thou?

8 comments:

Anusha said...

I beg to disagree. Fall, take your time. no rush. I am thrilled that I dont have to put away the dozen or so shorts K got from his grandparents toward the end of August. and come on, it is not humid like summer (except yest) it is 80 but feels like 70.

btw, I was ROFL at your soft- filter-lens film. fiction or not, your family sounds puuurfect :) touch wood.

Altoid said...

DotMom,

Much as I love fall and spring(cherry blossoms!), I agree with kodi's mom- let it take its time. Just a few more days of warm sunshine, open toed sandals, shorts, tees- ya, I'm not ready to give up on summer .....yet! :)

Cos with fall comes wet, rainy, days- then follows winter. Till April when my buds of tulips and daffodils will sprout and there's promise and loooong and lazy summer afternoons.

Ok, enough rambling. Have a good weekend

-altoid

Shobana said...

Fall, where art thou? indeed...I love to look at all the beautiful colors outside from my window...last yr I couldn't see it since it was the time when N was born, so I was in bed a lot...hopefully, this yr (I did some color when we were in Portland last week)...let's wait somemore Dotmom...

Shobana
http://mybabynaren.blogspot.com/

noon said...

Soft filter lens...like a Taj Mahal tea ad - sounds great! :)
Love fall. Miss it here. Don't miss the harsh winters...
We will visit a very sunny, may be even hot pumpking patch probably this weekend! :)

Sukhaloka said...

I miss fall in the US. Back in India(Kolkata)... the hot, humid, hot, sultry, hot, awful summer gives way to weird intermittent depressions instead of monsoon proper... and then a few weeks of respite from the heat, before everything is back to normal and sweltering again.

:sigh:. Winter, winter, where art thou?

BTW thanks for linking to my blog! Had no idea you were one of my readers in the first place! :P

Sue said...

Back to my nagging: photos, photos (whine... whine...)

:)

Sounded very filmy. All slo-mo stuff.

Mona said...

oh god, blueberry pancakes. mmmm.
i miss fall in the states too. if i ever plan a trip back, it would have to be in the fall. early fall though, i hate when the trees are all bare.
oo, or maybe spring. spring's awesome too huh?

Savani said...

kodi's mom: arrrgh. :) when we have cold winters, then sweet revenge will be served.

altoid: we need the rain, we need the rain.

shobana: i hear portland has nice colors.. thanks forstopping by here.

noon: happy pumpkining in kaalifornia

suki: same in mumbai. two seasons only.

sue. yes. yes. i got my copy of photoshop CS3. I ain't putting a non-doctored image up there :)

mona: if you visit in sping. stop by in DC to see the cherry trees

karmickids: working on it!