My Favorite Season

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I like the colors, the weather and the holidays. For me, fall is a time of new beginnings. That probably goes back to my childhood and the start of school. At that time school began near the end of September because of the prune season. Many families picked prunes and they needed their children's help as well. I still can’t get used to school starting before August is even over.

I remember a more definite change in seasons. The weather was a little cooler than summer and the sun cast longer shadows. School clothes were wool skirts and cardigan sweaters for the girls and boys still wore jeans but with plaid shirts or striped tees. My mom always bought me oxford shoes which I detested. I had big feet and I thought those shoes made my feet look even bigger. One year she bought me plain white when I wanted the two-tone type the other girls were wearing. I felt like I might as well wear the shoe boxes.

I entered third grade after a summer of listening to rock and roll on my transistor radio. For those of you under 60 my radio was about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I had developed a habit of humming. I didn't realize I was doing it until my teacher pointed it out to me.....several times.

There was never a mystery about who our teachers would be.  There were two classes for each grade and most teachers stayed year after year. Going into fourth grade I expected Mrs. Purdy would be my teacher. Her stern demeanor had given her a reputation of being mean. She had a shock of white near the front of her otherwise dark hair which earned her the nickname of "skunky Purdy." I was really dreading fourth grade. Before class on the first day of school I had to stop by the foyer to learn my class assignment. To my surprise I was scheduled with a Mrs. Josephine. I was cautiously optimistic until I entered the classroom and saw the familiar black and white hair. My teacher was Mrs. "Josephine" Purdy.

The type of food we eat changes with the seasons. Summer barbecues and light suppers give way to comfort foods like stews, soups, casseroles and roasts. I was a picky eater as a child. I didn't like vegetables at all. I remember walking in the door after school and smelling the aroma of beef stew or stuffed bell peppers which my grandma had spent hours cooking. I would sit at the table, arms crossed and pout. I'm sure my grandma fixed me something else. Luckily I grew out of that stage. I just wish my grandma was still here so I could enjoy all the foods I refused back then.

It's funny how payback works. When my son was a child he’d come in to the kitchen where I was cooking what I thought was a delicious meal.  He would lift each lid to check the contents then look at me and ask, "What am I going to eat?"

I like to bake and fall is the best time for that. I especially like to make sweet breads, cakes and crisps. Pumpkin or carrot bread, carrot or applesauce cake and apple crisp are some of my favorites. 

Decorating for holidays is another of my passions.  I bring down my fall bins at the beginning of September.  I take out each newspaper-wrapped decoration with a mixture of excitement and nostalgia.  The beautiful colors add so much warmth to my home.

For me fall marks the beginning of “the holidays” although Halloween is the first major holiday we celebrate in autumn.   The time goes by quickly and Thanksgiving soon follows.  As a matter of fact do you realize there are only 78 shopping days until Christmas?