For other people, the holidays start on Thanksgiving Day and roll through New Year’s. For me? They start on September 1st and still roll through New Year’s. No, I’m not decorating for Christmas yet. Instead, I enjoy every bit of fall through the beginning of a new year. After that, winter “happens” and I just exist until around May 1st, but for now? It’s my Super Bowl.
So, why do I love fall so much? I think mostly because it’s a season that just keeps getting better and better. We enter fall fresh off of all of the good feelings of summer. Even now during a pandemic, there’s still good summer vibes going on. Summer is fun, crazy, and filled with hot, long days and relaxing evenings. But then comes September 1st.
Up north, September is a glorious month. The heat of summer gradually melts away in September. Days are usually in the low-to-mid 70’s to start the month gradually creeping down to the mid-to-high 60’s by the end of the month. Nights get cool and it’s finally better to sleep at night. But otherwise, the days are beautiful. They tend to be significantly less humid with bright, beautiful cornflower blue skies. It’s just spectacular. Add into that the maple and birch trees changing color and it’s like Mother Nature is putting on a show she’s worked all summer to create.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s harvest season. Literally. Our garden peaks around late August to early September but that’s mostly because we do a lot of determinate varieties and have selected that timeframe. But, there are still big harvests in our future. There’s onions, beets, carrots, beans, and sweet potatoes still outside to harvest. We even still have a number of tomatoes and peppers still to go. And of course, my glorious mid-sized pumpkin is now nice and orange and waiting for me to pick it.
Additionally, football (whatever version it may be this year) kicks off and there’s a reason to actually turn on our TV (though we are currently watching the Tour de France, which is likely my second favorite sporting event.)
When September turns to October, it becomes sweater weather and Halloween beckons. I love Halloween. We don’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters here out past nowhere, but I love the holiday. I never thought I’d be one of those people who decorates my house for all of the seasons (and I’m generally not), but I’ve got a full cadre of pumpkins, gourds, chunky fall-colored throws and – my favorite – fall colored pillows. The house and life just starts to feel warm and cozy around October. It’s like the craziness of summer has faded away and the rush of “back to school and back to work” has settled life back into a calm routine. There’s Halloween and the future holidays to look forward to. The days are getting darker and there’s nothing better than curling up with a movie or a book and a nice pumpkin or apple pie martini.
Soon enough, it’s November and in a rural area, November is really the time where the rubber meets the road to provide for yourself. While we don’t hunt, my family members do and there’s always excitement for “hunting camp,” which truly doesn’t mean anything to me. However, it’s a time for my sisters and I to take advantage of everyone’s absence and do some holiday shopping. So, they can hunt. We have our own tradition: have dinner at this little Mexican restaurant we love and go shopping. Additionally, Darryl and I are also focused on getting in firewood for the winter, buttoning up the garden for the season and generally making sure this little homestead survives winter.
Darryl and I also make a completely homegrown, locally foraged and locally sourced Thanksgiving dinner. We do blackberry pie from wild caught blackberries, mashed potatoes and green beans from our garden, turkey from a local turkey farm and turkey gumbo with seasonings and the Louisiana “Holy Trinity” sourced from our garden. From there, it’s Christmas and I can’t wait to share all of the fantastic traditions we’ve adopted over the years to have a natural, family-oriented and traditional Christmas.
So, today’s the day I’ve been waiting for. Nine months in the making. Even during a pandemic. For me, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
The Yuppie Homesteader 