what in the h*** happened to August?

[nakymaton]

There was snow above treeline this morning. Today, it looks like another storm's comin in from the Pacific, worse than that one was.

The cottonwoods and the oak brush are starting to turn yellow and orange.

It was cold enough that I needed a sweater yesterday.

And it's dark when I wake up now.

Last time I was paying attention, I swear it was still summer. What happened?

[Arad-3]

I was just thinking of that today. I don't even remember August. It seemed to come and go so fast. Whats really scarey is it's already September ninth! That means at the rate time is flying by it will be Christmas before we relize that too.

It seems like I just put the Christmas decorations away! At this rate I might as well just leave them up year round! 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Tell you what, I hate it when I have to get up before sunrise. Guess I would never have made a rancher. 

On the other hand, here in the Northeast--Pennsylvania is generally considered part of the Northeast--October is my favorite month. The summer humidity is generally gone, the air is clear and sometimes crisp though the sun can still be warm, the trees turn color, the sky can be the purest blue of any time in the year, and the sunset views from my condo can be spectacular--often just after the sun has dipped below the horizon, the whole sky can seem like a rainbow, from deepest dark blue overhead to deepest red right along the horizon. It's not too hot, it's not too cold, it's often just right.

[Front-Ranger]

I hear you, Mel. Thank God for Indian summer--a last chance to enjoy summer. It's my favorite season too.

[Arad-3]

Tell you what, I hate it when I have to get up before sunrise. Guess I would never have made a rancher. 

On the other hand, here in the Northeast--Pennsylvania is generally considered part of the Northeast--October is my favorite month. The summer humidity is generally gone, the air is clear and sometimes crisp though the sun can still be warm, the trees turn color, the sky can be the purest blue of any time in the year, and the sunset views from my condo can be spectacular--often just after the sun has dipped below the horizon, the whole sky can seem like a rainbow, from deepest dark blue overhead to deepest red right along the horizon. It's not too hot, it's not too cold, it's often just right.

Sounds good when you say it.

[serious crayons]

Yes, good attitude, Jeff.

I used to love fall. My birthday is in October, so that was once my favorite month. I used to really like 60-something temperatures. I used to actually prefer fall to spring and summer.

Now I get starting getting depressed in late August. It has something to do with school starting, the annual reminder that my kids are getting older. It has something to do with the idea that in fall we are supposed to get all crisp and efficient and busy, after being lazy and relaxed and hedonistic all summer (my preferred mode). It has something to do with the days getting shorter (remember, they're now about the length they were in early April), and I am a SAD sufferer who unwisely lives in the north. It has something to do with my absolutely hating winter.

And at some subconscious level it probably all adds up to fear of death and aging (not necessarily in that order).

[Jeff Wrangler]

Well, thanks, friends. That's how I feel about October.

November? Let's not go there. ... 

[nakymaton]

Jeff, what is this "humidity" of which you speak?

Fall used to be my favorite season, too. (Though growing up northeast of the Northeast, "fall" ended sometime before Halloween, and was followed by "stick season," which was grey, dark, and cheerless.) And fall is incredibly beautiful out here, too, with snow up high and blue skies and aspens turning gold.

But it's also beautiful in a sad kind of way, and for some reason, over time, the sadness has seemed to grow compared to the excitement of that crisp feeling in the air. Maybe it's because fall never seems to last long enough any more. (Or maybe it's because my current job gives me all kinds of freedom during the summer, and then when September begins, every moment of my time is spoken for at least once. Which explains the getting-up-before-sunrise thing.)

It also could be that I don't live in a place with humidity any more. I wouldn't be able to stand an East Coast summer these days... I've gotten accustomed to living without sweat.

[serious crayons]

But it's also beautiful in a sad kind of way, and for some reason, over time, the sadness has seemed to grow compared to the excitement of that crisp feeling in the air.

Exactly.

I wouldn't be able to stand an East Coast summer these days...

What I can't stand is a Northern winter. Seven years in New Orleans reset my internal thermostat. And yet, somehow, I live in the north.

[Brown Eyes]

I'm certainly now fan of winter either.  I like the transitional seasons - spring/fall- because each feels like a relief (a primarily a relief from extremes of being either too cold or too hot).  I love living in a place where we get the full range of the seasons... a long spring, a long fall, etc.  And, I can't imagine living in a place where it doesn't snow in the winter (even though snow can be a pain).