Bare trees, gray light
Oh, yeah, it was a cold night
— Lyrics of ‘Bare Trees’ by Fleetwood Mac
Autumn traditionally is a symbol of plenty, with the harvest and abundance of crops, making it a time of thanksgiving (with both small and capital “T”) and, for those who are into sports, football. For many, it is the best season of the year.
I can appreciate early autumn’s cooler, crisper air and the relief from the bugs that torment us during the summer; it is a great time to do yard work and hike into the mountains. However, I don’t rejoice in the fall, seeing it as a symbol of decline and decay leading to death. Indeed, the joy of Thanksgiving is marred by memories of having to euthanize Tasha, our Morgan horse, right around this time, and it was shortly after Thanksgiving in 2001 that my mother, Fannie, died.
Beyond those personal reasons for not being such a big fan of autumn is the fact that we’re heading into colder weather and winter’s bleakness. I prefer the spring, when life is coming back, the days are getting longer, the temperatures are warmer. Sure, there is the mud and the black flies to cope with, but at that time of the year, things are looking up.
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