Monday, October 14, 2013

Fall, why I'm just not in-love with it


I want to love fall, really I do. There is so much about it that I adore...sweaters, boots, fire, soup, pumpkin bread, chestnuts, etc. I was trying to explain my less than enthusiastic response to a friend the other day and finally came up with a comparison.

Spring is like Friday night. You have the whole weekend ahead of you! Savor the night, stay up late and sleep in a bit on Saturday...there’s nothing but good times ahead.

Summer is Saturday, ah the luxuriousness of it! Simply perfection.

Sunday morning is even lovely, it's late Summer, you’re still savoring the feel of it all.

But.

Then comes Sunday evening. That is FALL, fall is Sunday evening. It's still a restful time. The light and warmth is all around you but there is this little voice saying..."better get to seep; you know you've got to wake up EARLY tomorrow morning, and there’s that 9:00 meeting with the…”

And then after Fall comes Monday morning. It’s time to get up early and head off to school or work. Enough said.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

44 comments:

  1. Nicely put Loree. great analogy ....and we all know what happens on Monday! But if there were no monday would we savour the weekend as much? Would we tire of Saturday if lasted all week? Even Californians need a break from the endless weekend at times..:-) and where do they come .. up north where its cool and green. I hear you though its Sunday ..oh about dinner time now and Monday is fast approaching! Continue to love your blog.
    Cheers, Neil in Victoria..

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    1. I've asked myself that very question many times. If the garden just kept on going, no rest period, no dismantling of the patio pots, would I crave a break? Would the sunshine get boring? I guess I'll never know until I experience it, which I hope to do...someday!

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  2. Exactly! Love this description and agree with you feelings on this.

    When I lived in the northeast I was often asked if I missed the "changing of the seasons" while living in warmer climates. My answer was always "no". Going through just one real winter was enough for me to never look forward to fall again. "I can't get used to so many dead plants" was first among my reasons.

    Fall in New England is beautiful and fun, not knocking it at all. Fall is the sign that winter is close behind and that kind of winter is not for me.

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    1. Your comment about getting used to so many dead plants reminds me of winter in Spokane (hometown). I've got it so much better here in Portland, at least the lawns are all green again...

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    2. I didn't think I'd see a Texan agreeing with you! For me in hot-hot Texas, the analogy is the exact opposite: I love spring but feel the hot breath of summer on my neck (the misery will be here soon!); fall, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air, and I know I can enjoy it for months to come. Of course, we have a much nicer winter than you do, which helps.

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  3. I love your analogy! I feel that way, too, although summer is much too long here in Northern California. I wish we could do away winter altogether and have 6 months of spring, 3 months of summer and 3 months of fall. That would be my perfect year.

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    1. Oh yes, as always when I make these sort of remarks I'm working from my reality not the reality of say Pam in Austin. My summer is not her summer, or yours either.

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    2. Exactly. But I understand just what you feel, and sympathize. :-)

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  4. There used to be a big sundae at Meir & Frank called 'The Summer Girl': orange sherbet, raspberry sherbet and vanilla ice cream with a splash of soda, served in a tall, old fashioned ice-cream-parlor glass with straws and a long-handled spoon. You wouldn't want to indulge in one of these every day (imagine the consequences), but it was a treat to be looked forward to and savored. Sorry, Summer Girl, but it sounds to me like you have plenty of winter pleasures to see you through. As for me, there is nothing I love quite so much as SNOW.

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    1. Ah another snow lover. I think I could be quite happy if I never saw another flake fall in my garden. But then again I got plenty of the stuff in my earlier years.

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  5. This is why I'm looking forward to retirement! And maybe spending January through March in Mexico. Loosing track of what day it is will certainly be delightful.

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    1. Oh yes! We could start a vacation home for rusting northwest gardeners!

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  6. You're welcome to visit here in winter any time, Loree. I'll put you to work in my garden, which demands attention year-round. I've expressed a degree of envy of those of you who have "real" winters before. SoCal creates the impression that the garden should be kept in tip-top condition all the time. Yesterday, I found myself hesitating about the purchase of a very pretty plant that dies back in winter - because it'll leave a hole and I'm not sure how to manage around that. Snow would do a lot to cover up the empty spots...

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    1. Yay! If I were to arrive on Say January 3rd and stay until the end of March would that be too long? I know it must sound crazy to you but that "tip top shape" thing sounds lovely. Thankfully we don't get much snow here in a typical winter...

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  7. Hahaha! I love that comparison!!!! It is exactly the same feeling!!!

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  8. I have made this comparison myself, because I feel exactly the same way. And to take the analogy further, by the time we're getting to Thursday, I'm completely stir-crazy with the rain and continuing gray days of April and May (Friday is June, in my book.) Thanks for articulating and illustrating this so beautifully!

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    1. Ah yes Thursday is the perfect analogy for that "are we there yet!!!??" feeling of late spring.

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  9. Fall is my last blast of color therapy. I try to sear its image into my mind where I hope it will last through four months of grey. I'm thankful for these last sunny warm days - it's all I have to hold onto for the season ahead.

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    1. Well put Lisa...and isn't the forecast just absolutely fabulous!?

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  10. I guess that's one way of looking at it. I always think of Fall as Friday night -- there are two long days of "nothing to do" (in the garden) ahead -- that's Winter. Then Spring is Monday. :)

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    1. I see...but then wouldn't that mean gardening is work? If you're starting it on Monday I mean? I do love the fact winter is only 2 days long in your scheme. Sadly it always seems like the longest part of the year to me.

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  11. I love the analogy. Sometimes I think summer/Saturday here could best be compared to a brutal hangover.

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  12. I can totally understand why you don't look forward to winter, even though I'm an unabashed fall lover :-) I don't even mind winter here...and it's the only time I don't feel guilty for not working outside..hahaha!

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    1. Thank you for not getting after me for trash-talking your favorite season.

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  13. That's an excellent metaphor. So true, winter is very much like Monday morning.

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    1. Maybe we can hope for a for a 4-day work week this year? (meaning another easy winter) What are the chances?

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  14. I love fall, it's beautiful and the weather is great..but I do get that creeping sense of dread for the cold, wet , gray days to come. I always find though that it's never as bad as I imagine, and at least it gives me a chance to clean the house and read some books !

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    1. "creeping sense of dread"...well put! But I suppose it is good to clean the house at least once a year.

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  15. Good comparison Loree, and made me smile :) the only thing is Monday to Friday is a five day journey, eeek!!

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    1. I know right...that's because winter feels twice as long!

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  16. I'm so with you. Nice metaphor.

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  17. Clever relating seasons to the days of the weekend; I have no need for frigid winters, or frigid folks who try to make the SW into the NE. The NE is perfect where it is, the SW is perfect where we are. And so is the PNW...I think the xeric oasis you've created brings more cheer than a wall of firs do by themselves - the power of possibility. Where a place isn't buried under snow all winter, to me = better design than just fall color, then nothing until spring.

    I'll try to post more sunny spiky scenes, so you can get in more quality Friday-Sunday AM time these next months!

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  18. couldn't say it better myself. you are absolutely right!

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  19. Ain't that the truth! I don't hate winter but I definitely unlove it. A lot.

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  20. Pam's spoken eloquently for the Texas contingent and I second it.

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    1. We'll have to agree to disagree, which considering our respective climates is actually kind of like agreeing. You got that right?

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  21. I wish we could just skip summer altogether - or at least shorten it. Maybe even just do spring and fall back to back. I'm with the Texans - summer makes me feel wilty. I do like some of that white stuff in the winter though!

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  22. I had to scroll back to see what Pam had written. As a fellow Texan I have a different take. I'm afraid I can't relate to the days of the week. That ended with retirement. Every day is the same here and that's how I feel about the garden. I love every day of the year always looking ahead to the next to see what it might bring.Today it is summer again. Tomorrow it will may be fall. Always the unexpected.

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