It's Fall... Finally!

A cool, dry wind surreptitiously forms in Canada and slowly eases its way across the border and down towards the Midwest. The sun has already begun it's southern descent, falling a little more each day until it ultimately reaches its winter perch. The tall shadows of late afternoon quietly arrive a little earlier each day as does the crisp blanket of twilight. The autumnal equinox comes and goes but the humid air of a spiteful summer lingers for just a day or two more, dying hard in the fading sun. Then, maybe overnight, a north breeze begins to blow. A cold front bullies its way through the northern plains then down to the Missouri river and Ohio river valleys, pushing the sultry temperatures far down into the south. Fall has finally arrived!

The first few days are almost sinful. After a long summer, a person manages to forget just how pleasant 68 degrees, in the middle of the day, feels on the skin. You feel superior and a little melancholy at the thought of how some people live in climates where there are no obvious seasonal changes; how do they reinvigorate their souls, how do they recharge their batteries? The nights are very cool now, forcing all but the most hardy of souls to shut the windows before sliding into a chilly bed. You shiver for a minute or two until the bedsheets absorb your body heat, a smile runs over your face in the darkness. A few tinges of yellow and red hues begin dotting the landscape's palette now, but soon entire forests will burst brilliantly with autumn foliage, inspiring deep sighs everywhere even in the most cynical of us. There are days where the sun will coalesce with the changing leaves to envelope the world in a golden aura and there will be gray days where fog gives way to a steady rain that patters lightly on so many leathery leaves; and both will be beautiful.

With so many things in life that fail to live up to the hype it's comforting to know that there are some things left that never let us down. Fall is simply the best time of the year for so many reasons. Enjoy this season and all that tickles your autumnal fancy: Whether it's high school football on a chilly Friday night; that first pot of chili; post season baseball; the sound of migrating wings cutting the air; huddling with friends and a cocktail around a bonfire; or laying wrapped up in a blanket for an entire Saturday while watching college football in between naps. Just be sure to revel in fall's majesty while you can, for not only is this the greatest of seasons, but the most fleeting as well. Before long we'll all be sipping egg nog, gnoshing on turkey & stuffing, and wondering whatever happened do those glorious days of fall.

Well, go on... Start reveling!