Late Fall--An Appreciation of the Season

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. The sudden change in sunlight, from clear to golden, a new scent in the wind, a new school year. Fall has always seemed to me to be a season of beginnings, not endings.

Here on San Juan Island, fall is everywhere. Leaves turn to yellow, brown, and orange, swirl from hill to hill. Garden tools retreat from the aisles of the hardware store, replaced by fireplace logs and road salt. Old pear orchards, untended for years, bear heavily among tall weeds. The pears are harvested only by deer and raccoons. Pumpkins are piled outside the market, and the new crop of apples dazzles us.

And the windstorms begin. I'm told I live on the windy side of the island, and I believe it. Some November nights, the south-west wind sounds like a freight train. I grew up in hurricane country, and I've never heard winds quite like this.

Surprisingly, though, there has never been any damage--aside from losing the seat cushion from a lawn chair when we first moved here. We looked and looked, but never found it. I imagine that seat cushion sailing through the night air like a Frisbee, maybe sailing out to sea. Neptune may be sitting on it this minute, for all I know. We're wiser now--when wind is in the forecast, we bring the chairs in.

Here at the 49th parallel, fall is over by the end of November. Winter doesn't start officially until the solstice, December 21, but the year itself knows no such rule. Late November in the islands is cold. We close our windows at night now, and our footsteps crackle on frost in the early morning. Often, we have snow around Thanksgiving. It's a good time to celebrate houses, brightly lit and welcoming--our own, or our friends' --a good time to be home, or to entertain. The scent of baking cookies fills the kitchen. We hear the storms outside and count our blessings.

It's time to pause and feel thankful for all we have. And many cultures do this at harvest time, whenever it occurs. Traditional harvest celebrations include Sukkot, Harvest Home, Festival of the Autumn Moon, Martinmas, Thanksgiving, and many more.

This month, let's look at cookies to celebrate the earth's bounty. November's recipes feature the flavors I associate with autumn--nuts, cranberries, apples, pumpkin, and warm spices.