Cold Snap

On the night of December 7, 2016, we had a cold snap.  Until then, we had had an unusually mild fall.  So this night, the weather just turned cold.  The next day, as I drove around the city, there was an unusual phenomenon.  All the mulberry trees had lost their green leaves, which were piled under the trees.  It was a really strange sight.  A lot of other leaves fell that night, but it was not as obvious, because they were seasonably brown or yellow.  It was the bright green of the mulberry leaves that made them so obvious.

The next few days, the weather included some windy periods. And during those times, the leaves hit up against the windows and made it sound like it was raining.  It was not raining. That was an interesting phenomenon also.

It Is Autumn in West Texas

So this is the time of year when the days grow shorter.  And the overnight temperatures can dip into the 30s.  But the bright daytime sunshine can yield temperatures of 80s and 90s.  It is a good time to be in West Texas.  Rain is not uncommon, the wind is not bad, but the allergens are abundant.

It is still a good time to be in West Texas.

Autumn

I know so many people who comment on how much they like autumn.  It is my favorite time of year. Although I love the renewal of spring, I love the calmness and settling of autumn.  I love the crisping of air after the oppressive heat of summer.  I like the smells of harvest, the harvest moon. I love the autumn holidays:  Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving. 

Autumn has some problems:  ragweed and other pollen carriers, cotton fibers in the air from ginning, sometimes dust blown by the wind. For those of us with sinus problems and sensitivity to allergens, this time of year can cause sinus infections, bronchial infections, and other symptoms such as watery eyes.   But all of that is manageable.

Autumn just has a mystery, a mystique and draw.  I believe Bliss Carmen said it best:

A Vagabond Song

By Bliss Carman

1861-1929

---

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood --
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.