From Anorexia To Gluttony

Following a weekend of sugar shock and house cleaning it would have been nice to enjoy a simple fall day before the last vestiges of color seeped from the fall foliage. A day without holiday anticipation, decorations, expectations, or advertisements. That is the way that things used to be. The week following Halloween was a time when we were given a seasonal reprieve, a few days to rest before turning up the obnoxious advertising to eleven.

Well, that was then and this is now. There were a few hours in the middle of the night when the commercials stopped and the decorations in the stores were taken down. However, by the time we got out of bed and turned on Sunday Morning, the Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas promotions began trickling across the airwaves (keep in mind that Hanukkah commercials will begin the night before). And, in the stores, the Christmas decorations were immediately put in place where the ghouls, goblins, witches, and vampires once dominated the shelves. Santa was back and he really wasn’t waiting any time this year.

It seems like I find myself saying this every year but the holidays keep getting earlier and earlier. Heck, even when logging on to Amazon, they are already starting to promote their Black Friday sales… let’s hope they are better than their summer debacle. On top of all this, stores are starting to come out with their holiday, i.e. Thanksgiving, hours. Better not eat any turkey this year or you won’t have the energy to beat everyone to get the good stuff. And, if you do enjoy a nice feast, you might want to consider moving everything to lunch time as many stores will be open by dinner this year.  

It really is a shame that the marketing for all these holidays has gotten so out of hand. It is a beautiful time of year, my favorite season, when the weather is usually warm enough to be comfortable but cool enough that you appreciate the moments you spend walking among the fire falling from the trees. It is the last moments that we have to enjoy being comfortable outside before the bitterness of winter descends. It seems as though the spectacular season beyond the windowpane is no longer enough for most people… they need to focus on what they can buy, what they can look forward to, and what they want to get rather than enjoying the present which doesn’t cost them a thing.   

Sunday Search: Tree Changes

Today begins another regular series of posts that I hope to write each week, Sunday Search. For the most part, I will be writing about genealogy related subjects including recent additions to my family tree, interesting resources or programs, and discoveries that give greater depth to the lives of my ancestors. There is also the plan to write small biographies similar to those that I have done in the past most notably of my grandpop, great grandfather, and great, great, great grandfather.

While there are grand plans for this series, I start today very simply. Recently I had to make a couple of updates to my tree. One that I had been dreading for months and the other that I have been looking forward to since last summer. Two changes that clearly demonstrate the dichotomy of the basic information that we all compile as we trace our roots… birth and death.

Both of these additions of information are almost surreal after having spent so much time digging through centuries of family history and piles of ancestral records. It is a change in perception I would previously dig through pages and pages just trying to find out when someone died but now, having experienced that last moment, it was not something that brought me any enjoyment whatsoever and by doing so, I think back to all the other times that I had to record that information for other loved ones in my tree.

From one unique experience to another. There are names that I see over and over again on both sides of my family and by adding my son’s leaf, one of those names repeats itself for another generation. But the name we chose, especially the spelling, was a means to connect my tree and my wife’s tree. Our son’s name adds to that bond between our deeply rooted family histories.

While he certainly doesn’t comprehend any of this now, I look forward to the day when we can introduce our son to his entire family and the history that his name carries with it. Between the two trees, there is a complex history spanning much of the world. My family touches on many areas and different cultures and my wife’s family covers a completely different geography and part of world history.

Each leaf has a little more to add to the family history just as each piece of fall foliage adds to the autumnal landscape. All different trees offering a different variety of colors but working in unison to tell the same story. That is what our son has to look forward to and what I am looking forward to sharing with our son.

Sensing the Season

It has felt like fall for a couple of weeks now. There were also a couple of crisp days before then but the consistency only just started to take hold. This may be my favorite time of year but the temperature is only half of the equation.

Today was the first day that I was really able to enjoy the season. Not because of the official announcement yesterday that the season had changed but because of the fact that today was the first time that it started to envelope all of my senses not just one. The sights, sounds, and smells are beginning to fill the air.

I enjoy the crunch under my feet of the freshly fallen leaves; the first line to fold in the seasonal change. While some may view the suicidal foliage in a way that foretells of the bitter cold just a few short months away I prefer to enjoy the moment that we are living in now. The year is too short to always be looking toward the darkness of winter; seasons are meant to be enjoyed.

Those same leaves give off the aroma unique to this time of year and one that is really hard to explain. Soon it will be joined by the comforting scents of the fall harvest and freshly carved pumpkins before the cold takes hold and mutes the olfactory experience. There is a lightness to the air that with a cool dry breeze the season wraps around you the smells of the season.

Looking up, just outside our apartment door, the edges of the leaves are beginning to burn with the autumn palate. Each leaf is unique in their chameleon change but all adding the overall collage of colors while retaining the memory of the summer arbor just beneath the branches. Soon the horizon will be filled with the fire of fall for all but a fleeting moment that will, undoubtedly, leave us wanting more.

This is a season of beauty and of change. While the departed summer is a time to relax for many this is the time of year that lets be slow down a bit from time to time just to enjoy the world around me. It is the time when we can’t help but be amazed by the world around us and we pursue new adventures and endeavors simply to partake in as much of the season as we can before the slumbering season takes hold of us and the calendar flips over to a new year.

This is the time of year to start something new and to emblazon our memories with new experiences like the flamboyant foliage around us etches their transition in our minds. This is the time that the slowly descending temperature brings us together and holds us to the warmth of family and friends. This is the season to share with the ones you love and to embody the passion that is portrayed in the trees around us. This is, by far, my favorite season.

Why Hello There Fall!

How long before we see this again? October? September? 

This past week there was a meteorological snafu. For some reason fall decided to visit in the middle of August as the daily highs topped out in the high 70’s and low 80’s. Now don’t get me wrong, I love fall, it may be my favorite time of year but this is a little ridiculous.

I have certain expectations during the summer especially in August. While I don’t look forward to it I anticipate frequent sweating and a mild disturbance in my mood. I am a little thrown off when my brow is bone dry and my marbles are cool and comfortable.

However, in the long run, if this is global warming I am happy to purchase a case of aerosol cans to ensure the longevity of this pattern. Al Gore said that we have to do our part and I am certainly willing to do so if it means bring summer to a premature end. After all, he is doing his part too. Remember, it is our duty to bring an end to swamp pants. So everyone please do your part and save the planet.

I hope to see more of the Facebook posts from friends that I read this week. Love letters to a refreshing day that make us long for the splendor that awaits us in the turning of the calendar’s pages; reminders of the simple pleasures that accompany the comfort of transitional seasons. More posts like this one I came across on Wednesday:

“Dear Glorious Fall Day - Why hello there! I think you might be a bit early, but I hope to be seeing more of you in the near future. Counting down the days to pumpkin spiced chai and boots. Oh yes.”

I don’t know about the Chai and boots but I am looking forward to more frequent visits from our Fall friend. Unlike the Summer house guest that won’t leave and insists on bringing their pestering insect friends and won’t let you walk around barefoot without getting third degree burns, Fall is a pleasant albeit temporary roommate that that opens the doors and cools the body as they awaken the senses to the aroma of fruit orchards and the breathtaking kaleidoscope of transforming trees. I would much rather have Summer’s stay cut short so that Fall could move in early.

Hopefully this new weather pattern holds up and we can all begin to relax in this early season. Maybe this early arrival will bring about prolonged fall. Of course, it could just mean that winter will arrive early too and really mess things up. Either way I am fine with it so long as it doesn’t get hot again until next year. I guess we will find out.