Autumn: What Happened?

Autumn is probably my favorite time of year.  I'm a big summer girl, but autumn has a slight edge over summer for me.  (Only slight though.)  My sweet spot is the early autumn when the days are warmish and the nights are cool.  Those days where the colors are vivid and the air is crisp, but not biting.  When sweaters come out, but bulky coats aren't required.

 What happened?

 The summer weather stayed on.  We had air conditioning in October.  That's unheard of in Northern NJ.  (I am not complaining...I'm just stating the facts.)  Then for about a week or a week and a half, we got real fall weather.  The leaves finally got to show their beauty and then it was over.  We went right into the lower than average temperatures.

 This past weekend we went away to the Poconos (yes, there will be a blog post on that eventually) and I expected colder temperatures.  After all you are in the mountains.  What I didn't expect (and I didn't see forecast) was SNOW.
Now we drove up on a Friday in the rain.  That did NOT make me happy.  (As we are nearly 12 inches OVER the average for rainfall this year in our area, rain REALLY doesn't make me happy!)  I grudgingly dealt with it.  I go to the Poconos to walk/hike. So when Saturday was partially sunny, I was happy to get outside, even though I did have to bundle up.  What I wasn't expecting was snow!

My son and I were hiking on a trail that I had not done before (and was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated; much due to all the rain which meant in several spots there was no way of avoiding traipsing through mud and water).  Suddenly I saw some white flakes.  It couldn't be, could it?  It was!  But it was only flurries...

And then it started to come down harder.  We kept going and it became a mini-squall.  (Nothing to panic about though.)  When we reached a spot where there was water that was quite deep and we would NOT be able to go around, I forced my son to turn around and head back.  By the time we got back to the lodge, the snow was long gone and it was sunny out.  (But very windy which made me shiver even in my puffy blue parka.)

But this WAS the Pocono Mountains.  Temperatures are colder.  I expected that.  I just didn't expect quite how cold it was going to be.  The wind didn't help either.  (Both of us had a bit of wind burn by the end of the weekend; the result of 3 separate hikes.)

Now here I am back home in NJ and I'm waiting for an onslaught of snow and ice today!  Today!  BEFORE Thanksgiving (which early this year; since there are 5 Thursdays in November.)  Snow predictions have gone from 1-3 inches to 3-5 inches to 5 to 8 inches to 3-5 inches and finally back to 1-3 inches.  It's before Thanksgiving!  I can tolerate (maybe) some flurries, but accumulation?  And then there's the ice that's supposed to follow.  (I am not at all convinced that the rain that is predicted for later in the evening will actually BE rain.  Temperatures may be above freezing, but only slightly.  I'm thinking 33 and 34 could still bring some snow/ice.)

So what the heck happened autumn?  Why did you flee so quickly and let winter push her way in?  This is supposed to be YOUR time!  It's too early for multi-layers! I should NOT be gassing up the snowblower and wearing my duck shoes.
I want to be thankful for you, autumn!  I AM thankful for you.  Please come back.  Kick that nasty cold weather out of here and let me show you some of the love that you deserve.
Please???

Updated:  Oh really???


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more