Fall into Autumn

By Greg Madden

Do you have a favorite time of the year or season? Can you pick just one or do they change as you go through the year, or as the seasons unfold into years or even decades?

Here in the Catskill Mountains we have seasons but we also have “bonus seasons.” Yes, we have the four traditional varieties of Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, and the uninvited bonus season, known to all as “Mud Season,” not a mountaintop favorite. Eventually getting to spring is the final reward and the mud season’s only redeeming quality as far as I can tell. It puts an exclamation point on winter and points our attention toward the summer months.

We also have subsets for the different times of year and the activities we enjoy doing. We have Ski Season, Hiking Season, Biking Season, School’s out Season, School’s Back in Season, Golf Season, Hunting Season, Motorbike Season, Fishing Season, Camping Season, Leaf Peepers Season and as Joni Mitchell reminds us, “the seasons, they go ‘round and ‘round, and the painted ponies go up and down, we’re captured on a carousel of time … in a circle game.”

So as Joni’s melody drifts into chirping crickets and joyful summer smiles, I further ponder my favorite season. While basking in the late warm summer afternoon breeze drifting toward the days “golden hour,” I catch myself in the moment and pause in thought … of course, it’s summer, yes, summer is my favorite of all seasons. Or is it ?

Summer is what we “Catskillians” wait all year for, right ? Finally, we are able to return to the outdoors to enjoy the hot, fresh air with all the birds and wildlife along with the Vitamin D free flowing from the heavens. Live music spills out of trendy bistros and dances along the main street of every hamlet. All of the activities of the summer season are easily accessible wearing just a thin cotton layer of covering or two, if even.

In the heat of the summer, the thinnest layer of perspiration is counted as a wardrobe accessory hoping to draw upon a pleasant zephyr to keep one cool. “Close” was a term used by my grandmother’s bridge group when describing a sizzling summer glistening that made everything cling tighter, as if nothing could be closer. These were the only days of the year that she would ask for a thirst quenching icy cold beer. Those days also brought us closer together and were some of my favorite memories shared with her.

It is easy to romanticize why the summer is our best time of the year for so many of us. Vacations, beaches, picnics and cookouts, family gatherings and reunions, festivals and concerts. Everyone loves summer, right?

So it’s very easy to choose summer as the favorite of all the seasons, and although I could be swayed by sirens from the shores to select summer, I just can’t do it because the fall, or autumn season, is my favorite of them all. There, I’ve said it!! So now let me state my case here on the pages of the prestigious Catskill Mountain Region Guide, but before I do let’s get this important fact out there for all to digest.

Here it is … pumpkin pie is good, pumpkin spice everything overkill, not so good. Is everything spiced with pumpkin favoring now-a-days?

The heat of the summer sets the stage for maximum enjoyment of the run up to the holiday season. So if the months of June, July and August have been predictable scorchers, then we can look forward to nice warm, yet crisp, autumn days and even cooler sleeping nights. One of the reasons I like this time of year is getting a good night’s sleep, otherwise known as “sleep season.” Wow, yet another season and one where drowning in your sheets isn’t a prerequisite.

With the kids back at school in the fall, it is also a great time for the senior set to get away to the mountains or the shore without all the summertime families for a relaxed time away with more choices for places to stay and play with attractive and reasonable rates. My sweet spot is that time between Labor Day through Columbus Day, and perhaps a few more bonus weeks, if the weather cooperates.

There are many activities that are autumn centric. Hikes are plentiful as the air is warm, the sun is brilliant, the air is clean, not layered with moisture and humidity. The dew point index that in summer crept upwards toward the 70’s, has subsided. Praise be!

Autumn is a season laden with traditions. There are family, educational, religious and social traditions that grace the calendar from September to December, and those days can be action packed with lots of fun engagements.

So, as we pack up our beach chairs and sunscreen and get all the sand off of us and out of the bags, shoes, bathing suits and car mats, it is suddenly “back to school season.” Supplies and clothes for the kids must be secured and then once they are set, it’s time to get back to serious business for the fourth quarter push.

Although there is more focus on getting things done, the run from Labor Day to Columbus Day, or even through Halloween, is a particularly wonderful time of year, where it can still feel like summer, but here in the mountains, we often see our first snow flakes.

I have always loved this time of year, often referred to by many as “Indian Summer.” Although the exact origins of this term are uncertain, it was perhaps so-called because it was first noted in the regions inhabited by Native Americans, or because the natives first described it to Europeans, or it had been based on the warm and hazy conditions in autumn when Native Americans hunted, according to Wikipedia. This time of year is also known as “second summer” for those wishing not to offend any race or groupings of people.

For many families and professional athletes alike, the fall season marks the return to structured competitive athletics and sports. Kids are back running around at soccer fields, cross country parks and field hockey events while college football tailgates litter our nation most Saturdays and Sunday NFL Kickoffs are religions to many. Soon NBA and NHL camps will open with the schools sports getting underway shortly thereafter.

And the best for last are the family aspects of Fall. From Sunday dinners and gatherings with friends and family, ranging to holiday celebrations and focusing and honoring our traditions, roots, heritages and family foundations. This all leads up to our welcoming in a new year and rolling the calendar over once again to start afresh.

Autumn also houses my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. For me nothing comes close, nothing is more pure, nor authentic and heart centric. Forget that the cornucopia of food served banquet style is spectacular and lasts for days (yeah leftovers), it is the spirit of giving thanks to all for all that is important and that resonates so deeply at my address.

With Thanksgiving, no gifts are needed, just contribute to the love, family celebration and community shared by all. This is a time of year where we celebrate with those that matter most to us and as a nation we gather together as one energy to celebrate giving thanks for everything.

Having said all of that however, I can’t fib here, #PiesMatter … #alaMode, #Apple, #Pumpkin, #Pecan, #Rhubarb, #Blueberry, #Cherry, #KeyLime, etc. So let’s once again fall into autumn, like a pile of leaves that have cascaded groundward from the trees !!

I’m all in on FALL…. and pies !!

Greg Madden, is the Development Manager at Wellness Rx Pharmacy where he also practices ancient healing modalities like Tui-Na Medical Massage and BioPhoton Light Therapy.

More at www.IlluminatingWellness.care.

WellnessRx, Pharmacy for the Public Good is America’s first nonprofit Community Pharmacy and Wellness Center in Tannersville, NY (WellnessRxLLC.com) and in April in Phoenicia, NY (PharmacyforthePublicGood.org), both located on Main Street.