Seasonal Waymark

Pumpkins and Scarecrows

September 22, 2010. Late that day marked the Autumnal Equinox, one of two times of year in which the axis of the Earth is perfectly perpendicular to the angle of orbit around the sun, resulting in a tilt that is neither towards or away from the sun. The result is that the amount of daylight is equal to amount of darkness for that 24 hr period, a perfect balance if you will of light and dark. In terms of the time of year, it marks the official seasonal change from Summer to Fall. Thematically, the pumpkins come out and plaid-dressed hay haired scare crows with sewn mouths and straw hats come out, to mark the time of harvest. In terms of fashion, fall sweaters and corduroys are brought of the closet to battle the colder weather, along with wool coats. No more jumping into the lake for a quick dip or sitting on a lawn chair with a cold (decaffeinated) iced tea.

Back in the day, it was time to gather in the crops and reap the work that had been going on all summer. Not just because it marked the end of a growing season but in preparation for the coming winter. It was a looking forward, in a way, to a time when commodities and resources would be scarce if duties weren't done now.

The haunts of my younger days wouldn't really know what this is like. Southern California is a place where preparation isn't so marked by necessity. Its even temperature allows a sensation of a single year round season. Even near the desert. There one could delay gathering in crops because Nature was relatively mild all year round, and little consequence was to be born if procrastination was the order of the day. One could always gather things later, or so one thought. Temperature never really cooled the way it does in locations marked by Four Seasons, and passage of time can be easily lost track of.

Here, in New England, it's getting cooler. Wool has come out, skirts have dropped, shorts have been put aside. Apples are going to be soon ready to pick. Applesauce and peanut butter (yum!) will be on the menus with abundance. The rain is a little cooler, and one no longer has to sleep with the windows up.

Winter (and Christmas) is just around the corner.

Winthrop Street