Pumpkin everything!

I’m done. I’ve had it with summer. I know, I know… I hate winter. But this year? Well, I’m done with summer, too. Oh, let me explain.

Summer was absolutely fabulous until mid-August. Then, it started raining. And raining. And raining. At this point, the lawn is growing faster than I can dodge raindrops to mow and I usually can get away with mowing every two weeks by now. The yard is also full of mosquitoes, which came back in full force with all of the hot, humid weather. The tomatoes are splitting with all of the excess rain and our root vegetables – the true last thing we harvest – are in danger of rotting in soggy ground. I’m over it. Bring on fall, bring on the first frost and bring on dry – if cooler – weather. It’s okay. There will be other seasons but this one has to go.

Now, I’m very sensitive these days to wishing my life away. Honestly? I only have so many summers left and then only so many of those will be good, active ones. So, genuinely, I try to soak as much up out of each season as I can get. But this time? Man, it’s not worth it. Thankfully, today is the last of our hot, humid and sweltering days. It also – finally – turns drier after tomorrow. In a fit of absolute frustration, I’ve determined I’m not mowing until it’s been drier and cooler for a few days. There’s just no sense and I’m tired of being a takeout meal for the mosquitoes.

And instead? I’m about pumpkin everything, baby.

Alright, alright, maybe not “pumpkin everything,” but I’m about fall. Seriously. After we were woken up at 4:41 a.m. this morning by my husband’s cell phone alerting us to the fact that the electricity had been restored, I turned my bleary-eyed attention to the long-range forecast. After today? High temperatures will range from high 60s to mid-70s. More than that? Only three of the next 15 days show any real chances of rain. If every storm must run out of rain, this one hopefully has.

In the meantime, I am genuinely looking forward to fall. Not only is it the start of my year “off” but it’s also just my favorite season. We turn inward as the days grow shorter. Life settles down from the frenetic pace of summer. We begin to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I have an entire chest freezer full of tomato puree, pitted cherries, sliced peaches and homemade apple sauce. I have an upright freezer full of meat, fish, chopped onions, garlic, peppers and strawberry jam. The basement refrigerator is full of potatoes and the drying racks are finishing off the last of our onions and garlic for dry storage. We still have sweet potatoes, one row of regular potatoes and tomatoes/peppers to harvest, but the garden is winding down.

Once the garden goes fallow and the weather finally dries up, we can take care of leaves. We will need to get firewood in – another annual ritual of ours – but it tends to be a somewhat satisfying task. It’s hard work but usually done in great conditions (think: 60-65 degree weather) and there is nothing more satisfying than looking at a full woodshed and thinking about a glass of wine in front of the fire in winter. (Well, perhaps, that glass of wine in front of the fire.)

In the meantime, shorter days does what nothing else seems to be able to do for this family: slows us down. In summer, it’s not unusual for us to eat after 8-8:30 p.m., as we did last night. In fall and winter? We manage dinner closer to 6:30-7 p.m. Plus, when we lose daylight and can’t work outside past 6 p.m. Suddenly, this family has just a little bit more time to wind down and have a pre-dinner conversation.

This year, summer has been a bit disappointing, on a lot of fronts. I am genuinely not sorry to see it go. I also have so much incentive to look forward to this fall. I’m attempting my first pass at a modified version of retirement and it’s my favorite season of the year. I’m also just ready for the rituals of fall. Apple picking, football games, cozy sweaters and jeans, mild afternoon sunshine and early evenings. Heck, I’m even ready for red vs. white wine. I’m ready for the fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. I’m ready for morning frosts and a crisp in the air. And I am ready to see if I can truly embrace all of the seasons of the year – and that includes winter.

It occurs to me that in the seasons that are our life, there are also times of transition between those seasons and I am there. Summer represented work and chaos to me. Fall represents home and serenity. I am ready to jettison summer more because I am ready to embrace a more simple and quiet lifestyle than simply because it’s been hot, humid and stormy. Instead, there is something deep in my soul that is literally calling me home and telling me that it’s time to finally put us, our lives and even myself first.

Pumpkin everything isn’t necessarily about the smell of spices or the romanticism of falling leaves. It’s a little more real this time. It’s about having time for the first time. It’s about kitty “outs”, home-cooked meals, jigsaw puzzles, and a quiet my soul needs.