There is a certain frenzy about summer in Maine. While millions come to Maine in the summer to see our lighthouses, rocky coasts, and to eat lobster, those of us who live in Maine seem to be bustling everywhere trying to soak in as much daylight as we can. Fall whispers "that’s enough of that.” Once we have battened down the hatches to prepare for winter, it feels quiet at our house. The lawnmower and the rakes are in the corner of the garage to make room for the stacks of pellets and snow shovels that we will surely need by the end of November.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
I grew up with four seasons (without the mud season) and have found that I really can’t live anywhere without all four seasons. It marks time and there is a predictability that comes along with the slow changes from season to season. In the fall there is the night when the frost hits and we are all talking about frost on the pumpkin. Most people would not name orange as their favorite color, but there it is on porches and in our yards mixed in with yellow to make it stand out. Suddenly, orange looks beautiful.
The predictability of it all soothes this weary soul. 2019 has been such a difficult year for just about everyone I know. For us, it has been a year of terror and miracles and struggles with my husband’s medical emergency in January. It has been a year of change and unsettling transitions. I’ve watched friends lose their jobs and deal with the return of the dreaded diagnosis. And then there is the world that we live in that makes us afraid to look at the news on a daily basis. So, I am ready for Fitzgerald’s soothing declaration that “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” I do not want to wait until the ball drops on December 31st ushering in a new decade. I’ll take the new start now and so will many that I hold near and dear.
The fall has been just beautiful this year. Everyone has been sharing their pictures of their favorite place as the leaves approach their peak. We drove in the Western Mountains on country roads with one view after another inviting us to pull over and take a picture. There were too many views to accept the invitations. But right now, the Nor’easter has passed and many are without power. I fear that the pounding rain has taken many of our beautiful leaves too fast. Losing the crimson, bright yellow, and magenta leaves and beautiful views are just part of the deal whenever it comes. We will have to make due with orange pumpkins and yellow mums until our first snow blankets the leaves on the ground.
The long days of daylight in the summer have given way to the darkness that autumn begins and increases in early November with daylight savings time. Summer is over. The daybed and petunias that graced our porch this summer are no more, making way for mums and pumpkins. This too is predictable and soothing in its’ own way. If you too are in need of a fresh start in Fall, I wish it for you.