Mid-September is always when the war begins in our house. I refer, of course, to the war between the summer people (me) and the fall people (everyone else).
For some of us (my husband) it is purely a consideration of the weather. He hates the heat and welcomes the return of slightly cooler days. Meanwhile, although I do grow weary of the heat, especially this summer, when it was so hot and so dry for so long, I am never happy when it dips much below 75 degrees.
For my daughters, however, it is what they would both describe as “the aesthetic” of the season. Between the two of them, ages 11 and 16, this weekend found us bringing the following into our home: pumpkin-ginger scones, a spiced apple oatmilk latte, pumpkin cheesecake croissants, butternut squash, fall harvest chili, apple cinnamon hand soap, a “fall foliage” scented candle, pumpkin spice muffins, and maple-cinnamon ice cream. Despite the fact that it is still in the 90s, they are begging for cozy blankets and wearing hoodies to school.
Meanwhile, I am still clinging to the mango hand soap and the strawberry-lime popsicles and wearing my white linen shorts and eating the last of the summer tomatoes.
I am willing to acknowledge that yes, Labor Day is behind us; and yes, school is back in session; and yes, the days are getting shorter. All signs point to the encroachment of fall, yes; I can see that. But I am not wearing fuzzy socks, dammit, and I’m not baking an apple pie until we have used up the last of the berries I froze after we went berry-picking back in July.
And good grief, that was so hot.
Actually, all of this summer was so hot.
Maybe I’m ready for autumn after all.
