by Mary Jo
Today's topic was inspired by a back room chat among the Wenches in which we extolled the delights of autumn: crisp air, vibrant colors, the recharging of energy after summer languor. Several Wenches said they'd like it to be autumn all year round.
But do we really want that? So I asked: What are your favorite seasons? Are there any you'd like to see all year round?
Pat Rice:
I moved to California for a reason—I cannot function without sunlight, and I freeze at any temperature below 75. I’ve always adored spring in the south with daffodils and azaleas popping out after a long winter’s cold, but I had to bundle up in fur to go out and appreciate them. And inside. . . it’s expensive running a furnace at 75!
So what I prefer and what I need are two different things. Here in California, I can still have daffodils and azaleas—I do have camellias. But daffodils don’t look quite the same amid palm trees and bougainvillea. That doesn’t mean we don’t have spring—it’s just different. For one thing, it’s a lot warmer. <G> And now, along with the bougainvillea and roses that bloom all winter, I can have beautiful blue plumbago and multi-colored lantana and purple California lilac. . . I think I can deal with the difference.
Just to be clear—we do have seasons. Right now, the pines are shedding their needles and the sycamores are dropping their leaves. We’ve turned on the furnace and wood stoves are scenting the air. It smells like autumn. The canyon winds are expected to pick up and rattle the palm fronds, and I’m wearing my corduroys—because the chill seeps into my bones. (Below: Pat's autumn front yard.)
So anytime it feels like 75 and the roses are blooming is my favorite season, which pretty much means year ‘round here!
Anne Gracie:
My favorite season is autumn, with its warm, sunny days and cool crispy nights, often with a hint of wood smoke in the air. And I really enjoy spring, when flowers burst forth from seeming barrenness. But I wouldn't want to have any season all year round. My sister lives in Queensland, which is sunny and warm most of the time, and that would bore me silly after a while.
I like the seasonal changes, the transient pleasures and features and inconveniences and rituals of the various seasons, the days you go outside and smell spring in the air, or that first really cold night of winter where you light the fire for the first time and snuggle inside in the warmth. I love seeing the trees change color and lose leaves, but I get just as much joy when I see those tiny green buds unfurling from dead-looking branches, or the pointy leaves of bulbs nosing their way out of the cold earth. I can really understand how in colder climates, ancient people used to dramatically celebrate the arrival of spring after a bitter winter. Even in a relatively mild climate like mine, the change of seasons reminds me I'm alive, and gives me something new to look forward to. Change is stimulating.
Where I live, in Melbourne, it's famous for "four seasons in one day" — really changeable weather. Sometimes on a winter's night, I go outside and the breeze is almost balmy, coming from the north, which means it's blowing out of the red centre of Australia, bringing with it heat and a dry spiciness, a reminder of elsewhere.
A few days later the wind blasts in from the south and it's freezing, which means it's coming across the ocean direct from Antarctica. I don't enjoy the really hot summer nights we can get here, but they don't usually last for more than a week or so, and then the cool change arrives (from the south) and the temperature will drop 20°C in 20 minutes, and the whole city is smiling and throwing open their windows and enjoying that fresh cool air scouring through the house.
So I might not be able to predict the weather, but I enjoy it changing — it keeps me on my toes. And since it's spring here at the moment, I'm sharing my lilac which is in bloom now, and gardenias, which I'm looking forward to in the warm weather.
Christina:
Right now I’m very happy though as autumn has arrived and I feel as if I can breathe again. I am filled with energy and really enjoying the misty mornings and cool days. I don’t mind rain and love the occasional thunderstorm, but the best days are those with a bit of sunshine to highlight the gorgeous autumn colours. The leaves are late turning this year and our Virginia creeper is only just starting to go red, but for the week or so when it is in full colour I know it’s going to be absolutely glorious.
Nicola:
There was a time when Winter was my favourite season although it might just be the winter of my imagination. When I was a child and lived in northern England I remember winter as being quite magical with knee-deep snow and open fires, crunchy frost, icicles and candlelight. I was hardier in those days and could cope with the cold much better. Nowadays, although I’d still rather be too cold than too hot, I do tend to ache more when it’s cold and damp! Even so I still love a dog walk on a cold winter’s day when the sun is out.
Autumn is now my favourite season; the time of year we are in now here in England with misty mornings when I can hear the owls hooting in the trees in the garden, the walks in the woods where the stags are rutting, when the sunshine is still warm but there’s a chill in the air at night. It’s a time for beautiful leaves and bright red fungus. That isn’t to say that I dislike spring or summer. I love all the seasons and don’t think I’d like to live in a place where they weren’t clearly defined.
Andrea: I grew up in New England, so it’s hard not to have a soft spot in my heart for autumn. Now don’t get me wrong, I love four seasons. There’s an ethereal beauty to walking in winter when snow is falling and muffling all sound save for the swish of the falling flakes and the soft scuff of my boots over the powdery ground. Spring brings those magic moments of seeing the first blooms break through the bare earth, and the tender green leaves begin to unfurl. And summer has those wonderful long evenings when the sunset brings a breeze to take the edge off the day’s heat, and a long walk along the beach has the water reflecting the shimmering pinks and gold of a summer sunset.
But for me, autumn is my happy place. There’s a uniquely memorable clarity to the season in New England. The sunlight has just lost the languid softness of summer, its pale, heat-kissed hues sharpening to a deeper honey gold that drizzles and dances over the red and yellow rufflings of the changing leaves. The air turns cooler, crisper, and is redolent with the scent of fresh-chopped wood and ripening apples. I love putting on a turtleneck and synchilla vest, and taking long walks to watch the infinite range of reds, mauves and golds that turn the surrounding trees into glorious riot of rich autumn hues. The season goes quickly, but I savor every moment of ikt.
Mary Jo:
I'm firmly in the "give me four distinct seasons" camp. I love the silence and subtle beauty of winter snow and have fond memories of boyfriends doing vehicular spins in empty intersections when coming home from dates on snowy nights. (This was in Syracuse, New York, so there were a lot of snowy nights!) The lushness of summer is alluring as long as it doesn't get too hot. A riot of greens and flowers and the casual harvesting of herbs from my deck garden.
But my favorite seasons are the transitional ones of spring and autumn. Spring is glorious here in Maryland, from the first ambitious crocuses to the blazing colors of the azaleas. Every day brings new leaves and blossoms until spring moves seamlessly into summer.
At its best, autumn is also glorious, with brisk air and bright, clear sunshine bringing out the rich changing colors. But I think much of the power of autumn comes from an underlying sense of melancholy, the knowledge that soon the glory will be washed away by a single heavy rain and winter will be waiting. So we cherish autumnal beauty while we can, and when it's gone--we wait for what will come next. (Right: A sunny late afternoon in winter.)
What is your favorite season? And is there one you'd like to see all year around?
Mary Jo