Fall is Here

"Fall is here, here the yell, back to school, ring the bell..." 

-from one of my favorite White Stripes songs...

In most places in the northern hemisphere, fall means cozy hand-knitted scarves, crisp autumn breezes that nip noses and toes, talk of spices and pumpkin scones. In my mind, that is a wonderful time and place to be– until the temperature drops below 10°C. Fall is definitely my favorite season, it always has been. I don't really remember my experiences of fall in Germany as a child, but this past year I finally came to understand that "fall" wasn't a single, hovering time period of coziness and cinnamon, but a transition into the deep, dark, miserable winter. 

At first I loved the changing leaves, the misty, morning apple trees, and the slight feeling of despair and hauntedness. But I soon came to realize that the few "nice" fall days that are glorified on seasonal cards and pictures were a rare treat, and that fall really meant freezing, wet shoes, a sun that disappeared earlier and earlier each day into a baren, brown field of death, and of course the general depression. What a let-down. 

I've really only experienced fall in warm places; the coldest being San Francisco/ Bay Area, where it's never really that cold. Trick-or-treating in Mill Valley was spooky and wonderful. A light jacket was enough to keep out the chill and bring in the goodies. Here in Hawaii October is one of the hottest, most humid months. It is Hawaii's transition into the rainy season (so-called "winter") but the winds die down and leave the islands sweating. It's also one of the state's planting seasons, which speaks life, growth, and new plants as opposed to the typical dreary autumn death. 

Many people have asked me how it is to not have a period of "down-time" from the summer. I always say that we do have an autumn season, but the changes are subtle and perhaps more inward. No, the trees don't displays their colors, and acorns don't suddenly appear in mousy, little piles on everyone's doorstep. Hedgehogs don't snort and scuffle around at night trying to find their dens, and hands and lips go un-chapped. We still have a harvest, however and the sun does set a bit earlier than in the summertime. The whales begin to arrive from their long, migratory routes from Alaska, and the Pacific Golden Plover (Kolea Bird) comes back. It drizzles in the mornings, and each day smells like a different kind of rain. The ocean seems to change in its texture; less salt, and maybe more slippery (but that might just be me...) 

Fall is a time when I feel the most artistic and awake. Most of my creative juices start circulating around this time; in terms of drawing, painting, music, cooking, and other random ideas. Maybe that comes from 15 years of conditioned "Back to School" in September, and a break in the summer. But for whatever reason fall is the season where I feel the most like myself. What can I say, I was born in November... it's in my blood. 

Fall also has the best holidays. Michaelmas starts it off for me. Then comes Halloween, which has been my favorite holiday since I can remember. I need to stress that I love, love love dressing up. Having an idea for a costume and then making it come together is simply awesome. And then there's food, which is a perfect segue into Thanksgiving. The wonderful autumn cornucopia image of bounty and goodness of the land is so close to my heart. All the hard labor that's gone into the fields presents itself on everyone's table. It really shows how much we have to be grateful for. I tend to be grateful throughout the year for anything that has to do with nature or food, especially since I've immersed myself quite deeply in the plant-labor-harvest cycle, but even more-so in the fall. I'm not a fan of gluttony, and thanksgiving definitely has a sadly commercial side. But the way we celebrate it at home is all about the vegetables. We hardly ever eat turkey and "Black Friday" is an atrocious, taboo thing to mention. Thanksgiving-time marks mine and my sister's birthdays as well, so we have a delicious pumpkin-pie-birthday-cake-in-one. 

a BEAN a BEAN a JUJU BEAN. 

Rosemary flowers

maybe a little bit o' fall color in there

In my garden, the newest sprouts have emerged and are rather symbolic of spring... Today I counted 4 arugula sprouts, 4 carrots, 2 beets, two "salad-bowl-blend" lettuces, one "Marvel of 4 seasons" lettuce, and my very first ever bean. A true jujubean (nickname of mine.) I can't wait until these plants grow up. :')