Every fall I am absolutely mystified by all the magazines & blogs that say things like "Now that the leisure of summer is over.." or "Now that it's back to the grind.."- do they not work year-round? In many fields, summer is actually the busiest time of the year! So for those of us for whom autumn's arrival just means more work but with more sweaters, I've put together a little list of things to make back-to-school season feel special...
Manage Your Library Queue Now is the time to solicit book recommendations from your friends and put them all on your library holds list. When the rain & cold does hit, you'll almost (almost) be excited: "Finally! A chance to read Neil Gaiman's full oeuvre!"
But Also Get Excited About Television Oh, finally- new shows! New Parks & Recreation, new 30 Rock (how weird/weirdly awesome do you think it will be this year?), new New Girl (more Schmidt, please!), new all-the-shows-you-like. The only thing that would be better would be a special Autumn Olympics...what do you say, Costas?
Get In On Some Back-To-School Shopping I got to help pick out school supplies for a 6-year old, and it was so fun (and not just because it was my first trip to Target in over 2 years). I was also just reminded that a dear friend is starting grad school, so I'm dying to put together an awesome/adult set of school supplies for her. Oooh, notebooks & pencils & cool Japanese pens!
Stock The Bar My go-to drink is wine, either white, rosé, or sparkly, but when the leaves turn and the air gets crisp, I crave cider. It seems like more companies are making cider all the time, and they're all so different: by the time I taste all of them, spring should be here. Fingers crossed.
Mourn Summer Produce, Celebrate Squash The end of yellow nectarine season is a very sad time for me, you guys. I love yellow nectarines, so this time of year I remind myself that I also love quince, hard squashes, cranberries, apples, celery root, and sweet potatoes. I also go through all the autumnal recipes I bookmarked over the summer, and start daydreaming about pies.
Actually Make Pies There are quite a few recipes that I have in mind for the upcoming holidays, but I always like to do a dress rehearsal before the big day. Now is the time to make practice breads, cookies, and pies- and try my best to give most of them away. Don't hold your breath, friends & coworkers..
Break Out The Blankets I use my big beautiful wool blanket year-round here in San Francisco, but during the spring and summer I keep it folded at the bottom of the bed on top of my pale grey duvet. When there's a chill in the air, just seeing it spread out on my bed makes everything feel cozier.
Sweater Season! San Francisco also requires year-round sweater wear, but I keep my toastiest, wooliest, Norwegian-est ones just for fall & winter. The temperature might be the same, but the feel is different- very back-to-school, indeed.
(Image: Marcia Prentice / Adir & Marcello's Worldly Retreat)
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Around the first day of fall I switch from spring/summer to fall/winter linens. I flip or turn the mattress and put on a clean mattress pads and then clean sheets (which are, of course changed more frequently than twice a year--LOL). Next up is my fall/winter coverlet and pillow shams and scarf valance. These are darker in hue than the spring/summer ones, which then get washed and put away until sometime around the first day of spring. I also switch out a couple of throw pillows on the bed and on the sofa. Later in the winter I might put a thermal blanket on the bed over the sheets, but the climate here is too warm for that early on. I buy solid coverlets I very much like and they can last many years so this in the long-term does not cost me more. My bedroom has a different look entirely when I am done, which is a nice thing. I am usually very ready around the first day of spring or first day of fall for something different.
I think summer is "leisure" because people go on vacations with their kids. For those of us without children, there is no real summer of "leisure"...we just keep working.
In summer it's not necessarily leisure time, but maybe more like being semi-comatose with heat stroke that makes a person move more slowly.
Recommendation for a stocking the bar with fall flavored choices -- Hanger One Spiced Pear Vodka ... delish on its own or for poaching pears for a dessert!
@PI-I hate to be the one to break this to you, but believe me when I tell you that going on vacation with children is no vacation at all. In fact if you're a full-time working parent, summer is probably the busiest time of year!
Unless you live in Texas, then it's business as usual.
Generally in America we use the term Fall, not Autumn. Your article title says Autumn but your first sentence says Fall and then later you revert back to Autumn. Putting aside the odd use of both, what's wrong with just saying Fall?
Yay for (#1) sweater shopping! And boots!
I am always excited to see football season (#2) arrive. I print out my favorite team's schedule and post it on the fridge, then plan my Sunday dinners for gametime.
The September Issue (#3). Vogue. And In Style, etc. All the home-based things it's too &*$# hot to do during the summer (#4).
Going for walks in the fresh, crisp air (#5).
I love Fall!
i live in arizona... we only have two seasons. sweaty summer for about 8 months then 4 months of the most perfect weather ever. but that nice change of temps will not be until at least october!
@DFB Or Florida. There's no such thing as autumn. Thank goodness.
This picture makes me so happy. I love the rugs, the art, the dog, the fireplace and the FIRE. Fall is all about the smell for me - the crispness in the air carrying that first scent of a fire is my favorite.
Yeah, I want that living room. So much rich-pattern-against-stark-white deliciousness.
Forget autumn. (Or fall, whatever.)
@JDOEY, I think both terms are widely used and accepted in the U.S. It may not be consistent for the author to use both in the same post, but it's certainly not wrong.
What is this thing you call a 'leisurely summer'? It most certainly does not occur w/kids in the picture and I've actually never experienced it since they've been gone. That out of the way, I'd love to experience autumn/fall again...definitely a REFRESHING. Last few years we've only had two seasons here....summer & winter.
Nice post though...a girl can dream:)
adding here: I still get 'that feeling' browsing the back-to-school supplies. oh, the memories!
I love this room...
Never done this before but just love the rug in the foreground. Anyone know if it is buyable?? Thanks!
And I, too adore the fall. Very best time of year. Doesn't get any better than crunching into that first McCoun apple, pulled straight off the branch.
You know, you can still buy school supplies for your local school, even if you don't have kids. Public schools almost always have wishlists for the basics. Tax-deductible and a great way to support the community.
That is such a beautiful, warm and cozy room. I whish I was in it.
@jdoey:
Hi!!
I have lived in America (USA) my entire 56 years. I live in one of the beautiful states for "FALL" drives anywhere in the state. In fact my Husband and I wait and take our annual vacation during the "Autumn" season. Living in the heart of Michigan; we easily switch back and forth between calling it "fall" and calling it "Autumn" so I do no understand your problem with that. I have done my share of travel in the USA and have never had a problem with anyone knowing the difference between the two names.So.....why is it a big deal to you about the way the Author's wrote their opening paragraph? Seems a bit trivial when the whole point is about the beauty of Fall/Autumn not the correct diction for the season. IT is not UNCOMMEN to hear BOTH here in The USA.
Summer is busy as hell, and has been since I was old enough to have a job. The magazine industry that prints those "leisurely days of summer" goodbye pieces every year? Going nuts all summer getting out the fall preview issues and lining up the big holiday editions.
Kids are not leisurely and don't want to be. My daughter's ideal playmate is the Atlantic Ocean--the only thing that never quits, gets tired, or bored with her games. The only playmate that is still playing when she is finally dragged away soggy and tired. It's not leisure she will miss this fall; she will miss those months without socks.
@jdoey: You do understand there is the whole world out there not just the USA right?
I think that some times the commenters here suffer from an untreated agitated depression. This may cause this obsessive "micro-scrutinization" of minor, inconsequential things. They magnify them in their minds and comment negatively.
It is a wonderful article which brings back both older and more recent autumnal memories and makes one ready for new ones.
jdoey - seriously?
I love the fall, I'm so done with this muggy nasty heat, bring on the crisp air and amazing smells and pumpkin-infused EVERYTHING. I spend a fortune on little pumpkins for a around the house and new pumpkin spice candles every year and soak up every second!
I've always thought that part of the whole "summer is leisurely and amazing" thing had to do with the amount of daylight - the days feel longer, and thus less rushed (even if you are rushing around yourself). But with the days growing shorter, it can be dark well before the work day is over, making everything feel decidedly less awesome. (Fall is my favorite season, but I much prefer the summer solstice to the winter one.)
But I'm a teacher and I do have a summer vacation, so what do I know? :)
Oh mans. I can't wait until it gets COLD again. Cold enough for baking and soup and hot cider and tea and fires in the fireplace and wool sweaters and socks and skirts and tall comfy boots and layering. Except I hope it doesn't snow too soon this year. Last year's Halloween blizzard was no fun!
Other ways to mark fall that don't involve shopping and watching TV? Have the first fire in your fireplace, first sip of simmering hot cider, cold-weather hiking, naps with lots of blankets on the front porch, candlelit dinners (for those ever-darkening nights), stocking up on winter squashes and root vegetables, U-pick apples and pears... I could go on.
@pollypressure
AMEN!
@jdoey--What? There's nothing wrong with using both words.Did you say that just to get comments? That's the only reason I can think of for your complaint. Geez.
I'm looking forward to fall/autumn,can't wait!
I have a silk kimono that I use as a house robe during the cold months. There is nothing quite like curling up on the couch, snug in body-warmed silk, reading a good book, drinking tea or cocoa, and wearing a work of art.
In Vermont fall is one of the best times of year! One of my favorite (and possibly unique?) traditions is to celebrate the end of daylights savings time by cooking a huge meal full of the heaviest most comforting recipes I can think of, mulling cider to drink with whiskey, and inviting friends over to watch a comedy movie at 4 when it starts to get dark out.
We are childless so far, but I agree about the feeling of nostalgia around this time. We live in a college town, so I get to see all the students walking up the hill in cute sweaters. 10 years later I am STILL jealous they are going to class and I am going to work.
Also my fiercely independent, ornery, 10 year old greyhound becomes a snuggle-bug when she gets chilly at night and curls right up on the bed with us. Bliss.
Fall = niiiccceee!