Not quite summer, not quite fall — something delicious in between. (Image via Wikimedia)
Autumn is coming in! I know, I know, equinox, blah-blah-blah. But modern people tend to jump the gun a little – perhaps we’re more attuned to the marketing cycle than we are to the actual season, but that’s OK. A lot of us are sick of summer, anyway.
How do I know it’s autumn? Well, I suspected it last night when Randy Rainbow sang to me of pumpkin spice on YouTube. That’s the first whiff of autumn these days – the cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg get re-branded as pumpkin spice, and jazz up any number of delicious, non-pumpkiny things – the real pumpkin being saved for Thanksgiving, I think.
This morning confirmed things. Nearly the first tweet I read said: “WE ALL HARD AGREE THAT HALLOWEEN SEASON BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1, RIGHT?” Lisa Marie Basile, you are ahead of time, I thought. And then I remembered . . . thirty days hath September, and that means August has 31. We were at the end of summer.
At the time, there were 2,080 tweets in the past hour for Halloween costumes, and 910 tweets for hashtag Halloween. I’d say Halloween season has begun.
This summer has been such a bubble of confined space for me. I’ve been getting by, concentrating only on the stuff right in front of my face, and barely paying any attention to the passage of time. When I managed to get enough water, I felt I’d accomplished enough for the day. When your focus is so tight on the next five minutes, there’s also a strange feeling that time will go on forever.
Autumn is a lovely season, but there’s that bittersweet haze of “ending” that hangs over it. Winter is coming, and so are the short days and long winter’s naps. But, it’s good reading weather, and good writing weather.
The thing is, I’m still behind. People serious about publishing are already knees-deep into their Valentine’s Day offerings, and already starting to think about summer stories. So, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I linger in summer for just a few more weeks. Either way you look at it, I’ll get caught up to the seasons, or the seasons will get caught up with me. Time goes on, and there’s writing that needs doing.
Eight Ladies Writing 
Indigenous Australians have their own seasons (which of course vary, as Australia has everything from tropical to alpine areas) – and most have more than four seasons.
For a brief introduction, you might like to read:
https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Land-management/Indigenous/Indigenous-calendars
Could inspire some interesting world building for anyone writing fantasy or SF. Such a wonderful view into ancient cultures!
(-: Thank you! I suppose this post looks really weird to southern hemi folks, since people are springing into spring there (or other seasons). I’ll take a look at this. It looks like there are a few places that have Big Wind Season; wonder how they are changing this century?
Japan is very proud of having four seasons, and it’s often mentioned in conversation textbooks. I think where we live has five, though: A very long winter, mud season, a very short spring, a variable summer, and a long and delightful autumn. There’s definitely a little crispness in the air here, and we’ll probably be good until early November, when a sixth season, gray season, begins.
I’ve always hated to see summer go, and I’ve always found autumn depressing. But now that Zuleikaa has given us such a rich cultural angle, I have a whole new way of looking at the changing of the seasons. (And yes, it could hugely improve world building!) Thank you!
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Autumn is my favorite time of year, so I’m always happy to begin it as early as possible. Here in southwest Ohio we got a little pre-taste of it last week, with temps in the 50’s at night and the 70’s during the day. It was perfect for walking or gardening or playing with furry friends at the dog adoption center where I volunteer.
I’m hoping for a nice, long autmun to make up for last year, when it stayed in the 80’s through the first week of October and the dropped abruptly into the 40’s with no fall whatsoever.
Off to read Zuleikaa’s link!
The weather has been so crazy! I don’t like it when we go straight from mud season into summer — I like a little spring. Some years, we miss out on the summer and have some strange, proto-autumn where the temperatures are in the low 20s (upper 70s). This year, we had enough summer, I think. And it does seem like autumn is settling in nicely.
Weirdly, I also feel like August, at least, was about getting through five minutes at a time all month long. Maybe something was messing with our Virgo energy? I’ve had better, longer focus today, so I’m pinning all my hopes on good mojo re: time (and energy) in September!
And while I can take or leave pumpkin spice, I am excited about homemade, apples-fresh-from-the-tree pies, and wearing boots. I will be in Albuquerque at the end of the month, and other than the altitude (5300 feet above sea level), the worst thing is reverting to sandals and sundresses when I’ve just physically and mentally moved on to fall fashions.
(-: Well, I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one just trying to get through step by step. Albuquerque might be a chance to enjoy some summer again . . . . I wonder when they switch their fashion calendar?