Monday, September 04, 2006

The Best Season

Fall is my favorite season. To me, it is a season of renewal. I feel better in the fall. When the leaves begin to change, we can soon smell them burning all over the neighborhoods. Soon, the breeze becomes chilly, and the rain is cold. I love driving home in the rain and wind and seeing the leaves swirling and finally plastering themselves wetly on the pavement.

Fall means festivals, in a small town. When the Dogpatch, USA theme park was in operation near here, they provided summer employment for most of our students. My daughter worked there for a couple of summers, and seemed to enjoy it. The various employers in the area held their company picnics there.

After Labor Day, the city and the Chamber of Commerce got busy planning Dogpatch Days, which occurred on the square, and helped wrap up the summer season. It was a fun festival, with food on a stick, booths full of hand made items and crafts for sale, and entertainment and street dances. Now, we have Harvest Homecoming, and, somehow it’s just not the same, although it is fun and draws big crowds. Without Dogpatch, though, it’s just another fall festival.

Fall means Hunting Season. About a month beforehand, all the hunters start growing beards. I have never been able to find out why. Some of them say that the beards keep them warm, and other say that if they have beards, they don’t have to worry about wasting time shaving when they have much more important things to do, like getting to the deer woods earlier in the day. Factories close down for several days during deer season so their employees can go and hunt. Actually, most of the hunters around here hunt deer for the meat (and of course, if they can bag an 18-point buck at the same time, that’s a bonus). There are lots of great venison cooks around here.

Fall means Football, with a capitol “R”. Razorback football, Wooooooooooooooooo Pig! Soooooie! If you’re not a Razorback fan living in this area, best keep it to yourself. People in this neck of the woods take their Razorbacks seriously. On game day, they load up their cars, trucks, SUVs, whatever, and head for Fayetteville or Little Rock. They get there early and set up tailgate picnics. Some of them are pretty elaborate.

I’ve been to my share of the games. Back in the day when hopes were high and love was young, I actually attended games to prove to my boyfriend what a good sport I was. It's what girls were supposed to do. Once, I even went in what was surely a monsoon, and sat in the stands under an umbrella, and then stood under said stands with said umbrella, because he had to work that day, taking tickets, and I couldn’t go home. I must have proved myself to him because, a few months later, we got married, and, while I would watch the games on tv with him, I felt I had done my part as far as actually attending the games was concerned, and I like to think he was just as happy, going with the guys and not having to put up with me being bored

Yes, fall is almost here. Can Christmas be far behind?

7 comments:

Jay said...

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Finally getting relief from the brutal summer heat and then all the halloween/thanksgiving/Christmas decorations all over town. Love it!

Kell said...

You forgot the smaller schools that close for the first day of hunting season. I always thought that was the most bizarre thing.

You know I love fall. Al, however, has already complained about being cold. We had a low of 40 something the other day, and you would have thought we lived at the North Pole the way he carried on. Sheesh!

Anonymous said...

Well, something must be in the air. I have been getting the urge to do some cleaning...you know...the attic, cleaning out cabinets. Everytime the season changes I seem to want to clean up something. Just as well I suppose cause any other time I avoid cleaning like the plague. :)

Betty said...

alan g: The season changes often have that effect on me, too, but I lie down with a cold cloth on my forehead until the feeling passes.

Maya's Granny said...

I love the fall. Here it is just a matter of falling leaves, but when I lived in farm country I gloried in the harvest. I do enjoy getting winter squash in my CSA box and, hopefully, there will be pomegranates soon.

Newt said...

I'm so glad I read this. Sheesh, I've been getting that urge to really really clean. Thank God you mentioned that laying down with a cold cloth will make that feeling go away. Phew. Ahhh, comfy couch,,,,,,,,,cool damp feeling on my head.

F&W said...

You sum up the season so nicely! I love fall too. I'd have to say it's my favourite, followed by spring. Winter and summer are just too extreme. :) One of my very favourite things about fall is the clothes. Nubbly sweaters, corduroy, denim, wool, and fleece! Add a cozy pet, a good book and a fire and I could live like that all year 'round.