Scarlet

The trees at the south end of the Vandervelden courtyard have begun the shift from green to scarlet.  My class took a walk the other day and I was immediately captivated by their colorings.  I've been asking my colleagues around campus if they've taken note of them.  So far no one has really noticed.  I love the fall.  The slow slide into the rainy weather, the slowing of routines as school begins, the days get shorter, and the food on our tables turns from salads to soups: Split pea, chicken noodle, and bean.  We move from barbecued chicken and seafood to roast in brown sauce with carrots, turnips and potatoes.

I had my first piece of pumpkin pie the other night.  Nothing says fall more than pumpkin pie.  My mother-in-law is a big fan and so I told my wife, "We should get your mom one of those pies."  Mother-in-law bonus points, plus a piece of pie.  Score one for the daddy-o.

This last weekend was the first fall weekend, with indoor fun, snuggling, movies, and a certain inactivity that only people from colder or four-season climates seem to understand.  The sunny weather folk get restless and depressed, but not me, not those like me.  We hunker down with books, movies, family and loved ones and prepare to navigate the season that, to me, looks the most like intimacy.

All this from the scarlet leaves on the trees in Vandervelden.