I love fall! I think it’s my favorite season although I will probably disagree with that sentiment by the time spring rolls around. I do love the fall colors and the crunch of leaves and the crispness in the air.
With fall comes football. I can’t say that I love football because I simply don’t understand it. In high school I attended every game and cheered when everyone else cheered. I didn’t understand why I was cheering, but I cheered nonetheless because I was caught up in the camaraderie of it all. Whether the team wins or loses, cheering creates a community, and I love community.
One of the fall highlights of my small community is the County Fair, a long-awaited week of rides, farm competitions, and crafty creations. Smells of popcorn and funnel cakes fill the air. Couples and kids walk the midway at night, and grandparents treat the little ones to Friday and Saturday afternoon kiddie rides.
For this one week in September, time slows a bit. People smile and give each other neighborly nods as the world prepares for shorter days and longer nights.
Fall, football, and the County Fair are important precursors to the most brilliant month of the year. Helen Hunt Jackson says it best in her poem “October’s Bright Blue Weather”:
O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather.
Happy fall, ya’ll!!
Beautifully said!