Ahhhh, Autumn, my favorite time of the year after riding season and after winter have come to a close.
Snow in June or hailstorms on sunny days, Mother Nature can be a foul temptress no matter what your Farmer’s Almanac or Aunt Sally’s arthritic knees predict. Signs of autumn usually entail the falling of leaves and the turning back of clocks but with a recent stretch of short pants weather, you can’t trust the lack of chlorophyll in your favorite piece of standing wood these days. Despite the official first day of Fall almost a month ago, only in the last week have I noticed undeniable and completely unscientific proof that Autumn is very much alive and well in the Gas City.
We all have that neighbor who cuts their lawn no less than twice a day and when the days of summer have left us behind, that very same guy has replaced his 4-in-1 mower/mulcher/bagger for his endless supply of rakes for the daily dredging of leaf collecting. Don’t be fooled be his leisurely leaf maneuvers either, every stroke of that rake has been meticulously thought out. I should also note that these professional leaf collectors also possess superpower hearing, able to detect the sound of a falling leaf from 300 yards away through a wall of R50 insulation and triple pane windows.
Red wine goes with beef, Ernie goes with Bert but I’ve to comprehend why autumn pairs up with everything Pumpkin flavored, and yet another indication that the third of our four seasons is underway. Pumpkin soup, pumpkins parfaits, pumpkin chicken and even pumpkin pancakes are just a sampling of the smattering of ‘Pumpkin everything’ this time of year. For 245 days of the year, I enjoy my coffee black and yet I’m pressured to sip pumpkin flavored java the moment geese start flying south. It’s this reason and my personal theory that pumpkins are gutted and transformed into jack-o’-lanterns on an annual basis, namely for the sake of revenge against the orange gourd with the season of ‘Pumpkin Everlasting’ in overdrive.
Dave Nedohin was in town just last week and it was only 48 hours ago I saw Kevin Martin on the tube discussing the new curling app for smart phones. Less subtle than the obvious, this is also a sign that autumn is here as curlers exit their hibernation for another season of rock hucking action. Likewise, keep an eye out for pictures of 22 pound cucumbers and potatoes that look like the cast Sons Of Anarchy on your buddy’s Facebook Page because unusual vegetables is the final lead nail in the coffin in reference to one of my favorite seasons.
