Question of the Week: Question #40

I got to thinking about fall this morning, and one question came to mind: When did fall even get here? I was talking with my therapist last week about how fall always makes me think of my father because that’s the time of year he got sick. But fall does have its good qualities. Have a question? I’d love to hear it, so feel free to email me (mellow1422 [at] aol) or ask me on Facebook or Twitter, friends! Today’s question is…

What do you love about fall?
A few years ago, my mother came home with the perfect Saturday afternoon excursion: A drive to a local apple orchard, set amidst the last of the yellow summer corn.

The weather was perfect as we drove through the countryside. It was one of those early days of fall that makes you realize you’re not as sad as you thought you’d be to see the seasons change. It was a good start too, I thought, to restoring the Heartland’s faith in me.

There is something so calming about a quiet orchard on a Saturday afternoon. As we pulled in, I marveled once again at my mother’s wisdom. A quiet afternoon is exactly what we needed. We strolled through the raspberry fields with our milk carton in hand, looking for that perfect raspberry hidden under green leaves. As we picked, I told the tale of the last time I picked raspberries and the last time I ventured to that orchard. It was Labor Day weekend when I was 16 and was sneezing and coughing from a cold. My sister and mother muttered something about my freaky elephant-like memory from a few raspberry vines away. I just continued on my raspberry hunt.

And as we picked the perfect-shade-of-red apples I’ve ever seen and meandered over to pet the adorable farm animals, I couldn’t help but feel like I was witnessing the seasons changing right before my very eyes. Summer was fading, being blown away by the sweet smell of cider and freshly made doughnuts – of course, I enjoyed an entire doughnut for dessert that night.

But I digress. It’s rare, isn’t it, when nature gives us a VIP pass into its inner workings? Yes, we know the seasons change, but rarely do we ever have the chance to stop and see one blend into another right before our very eyes. Rarely do we get to feel it in the air as it brushes against our face or see it in the sky as the cloud begin to take on a heavier shape. But those signs are always waiting for us, aren’t they? The signs of fall are really only one orchard away.