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| spring |
The leaves are still green in New England and there are flowers in the garden. Yet everywhere I see signs of autumn (a/k/a fall). Pumpkins and chrysanthemums at the grocery store, fat new novels at the book store, blogs memorializing the end of summer.
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| summer |
Yesterday I was pruning and wondering what season is most popular--spring or fall. I am ruling out summer and winter (except, perhaps, for skiiers and surfers). I think those months are enjoyed for moments and memories-- a glass of lemonade, walk on the beach, fresh tomatoes, drifting on the lake, girls in their summer dresses (title of a classic story by Irwin Shaw)...the first snow, cozy by the fire, a mug of hot chocolate...
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| autumn |
Spring and fall are anticipated for the fullness of the season, for the transition from something strong (winter, summer) to something gentle, yet intense (spring, fall). They are seasons of longing-- think spring fever. And now, fall fever. I look forward to it--I am already storing books, like a squirrel does nuts; filling the fruit bowl with apples, and looking forward to taking my sweaters out of the cedar chest. If pressed, I would say fall is my favorite season.
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| winter |
Picture captions are my fanciful seasonal interpretations.
I love the fall. Warm with a cooling breeze. I was walking through our local farmers' market where shiny apples, pears, plums, tomatoes and peppers were sitting right next to colorful squashes, pumpkins and sunflowers. The fruits/veggies of summer with the fruits/veggies of fall. What a great season!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful description and reminder of the produce of autumn!
DeleteHello Jen:
ReplyDeleteHow very thoughtfully you have illustrated this post which, by its very nature, puts one into reflective mood. Thinking about the seasons, and not in any way wishing to sit on the fence, so to speak, we have to conclude that we like them all equally, but in very different ways and for different reasons.
Dear jane and Lance--I started to use pictures of flowers in my garden; but there are so many great (and better than mine) pictures of flowers on blogs, I decided to use some of my favorite pictures found at auctions.
DeleteYou are not sitting on the fence--you and are taking a broader view than I, making me thing of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
I like spring and autumn during their entire run; but I like only a little of summer until it gets too hot to be doing anything physical (can't handle extremes of temperature as I could when younger); the same with winter - the first snow is so lovely, but by the middle of January, the dark month, and into February, the dreary month, I whine for spring.
ReplyDeleteKaren, Sounds like you and I feel the same way about seasons. I wonder if we're on the same longitude--I was surprised to see that my homes in Mass. and NY are both 42 degrees north.
DeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI love all seasons really. Life would be so boring if the seasons didn't change ( at least I think so )
Here in Norway the changes are strong and very vivid. You can smell them in the air long before you see them around you. Fall and spring are gorgeous. With such an explosion of colours!
I would say spring is my favourite. Has more energy. It is louder. And feels like a revolution...
xoxo
How little I know, and how glad I am that my blogger friends broaden my horizons--I knew nothing about the seasons in Norway, except you are so far north I think snow and ice; but I have learned some through your posts and pictures. It must be very different from Greece.
Delete"Feels like a revolution"--love that!
I'm most definitely a summer person. I would miss seasons in the long run, but would prefer to experience them somewhere where the differences are not as strong. I can't handle the cold, and, what's worse, the lack of light. I can literally not handle it physically. I get first tired, towards the end of winter depressed. seasonal affective disorder. and no amount of vitamin D helps... I wish it wasn't this way. would save me a lot of bitching about half of the year really ;)
ReplyDeletexxx
Oh yes, the lack of light hits me hard too. I like/need to spend as much time outside as I can, and hate it when it gets dark in the afternoon. It doesn't surprise me that you love summer--your posts are so vivid when you are in sunny, tropical, humid places.
Deleteautumn is my favourite time of year. a semi-hermit, the whole concept of squirrelling-in appeals quite a bit ;)
ReplyDeleteand i have to agree, it seems the transitional seasons are more emotion-based.
I always have piles of books around, but at this time a year, I am literally making a stack to get me through winter.
DeleteI do love summer with warm days and long evenings, but that is the summer of old. Our seasons here seem to have become muddled and confused - we have just had one of the warmest winters and the wettest summer on record!
ReplyDeleteOh, and you have just proved you do not need your store "to hide behind"! M x
Oh I LOVE summer evenings. Every evening after supper I sit outside and read.
DeleteAs for hiding--those pictures are ones I collected to sell in the store--it's still propping me up. :)
Spring is so garden beautiful and filled with hope and much digging.
ReplyDeletefall is my birthday month, clear skies, sleeping with windows open and the first cups of hot tea.....today I vote for fall.
Ask me again in March.
xo jane
Oh yes, the anticipation of spring fever is so wonderful and necessary to get through the mud months.
DeleteWhen faint hint of the early autumn is felt, I breathe as if I was reborn...thus I love this transient season. Of course when some cherry blossoms begin to bloom, it makes me fascinate. But autumn makes me more think about life itself.
ReplyDeleteHaricot--you expressed the way I feel perfectly (and in your second language!).
DeleteFall is by far my favorite season. Spring is sweet and fragile,a trembling breath, but Fall is strength and groundedness, an exhale of relief and inhale of resolution. I love the colors and the textures, the flavors and smell. It's too short a season but life without it would be far too pale for me. So what books are piling up?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful descriptions--I love the way writing about the seasons is bringing out the poet in everyone.
DeleteHmmm you've given me the idea to write a post about winter reading, so I won't put the whole list here. The next 2 novels I'm going to read are Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga, and Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon.
A wonderful post and fine thoughts! I would absolutely miss the seasons if they were not a part of my life. I love them all... and it is always the actual one I am favoring! This year I am a bit sad that summer is passing. We have not had such beautiful weather here and when it was warm and lovely we spent two weeks in Ireland where it was cold and windy and not really relaxing speaking from the weather-side. I hope we have a few warm and sunny days ahead. I guess you in New England are very lucky with the Indian Summer... it must be marvelous and magic! Enjoy! Christa
ReplyDeleteI love spring, because summer follows..
ReplyDeleteIt is the waiting for all the things I love so much.
This year somehow I was running out of summer time (kind of).
No vacation at all and now in the end of the season I miss it.
I live in Greece and the winter is not too cold.
Greetings from Monika
me too... spring is great...
ReplyDeletefall for me...
ReplyDelete