Electric Colored Trees
“I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” This is part of the opening voiceover in You’ve Got Mail. Remember that movie? It stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as internet pen pals who don’t know each other, but slowly fall in love through the written word. It’s a modern twist on an old plot, although the use of AOL makes it seem like the Stone Age. Besides being one of my favorite romantic comedies, I always remember that line when the summer fades. School shopping means fancy writing utensils, which inevitably reminds me of Mr. Hanks being cheeky as a big box store owner.
Tis the season for new classroom supplies and updated clothes. Back to school is a fun time on the educational conveyor belt. A new year means new classes with new opportunities, and possible new friends. Everything has the chance to be different. You don’t know when you walk into that class on the first day. Will you upgrade your personality with a fresh wardrobe? Perhaps you will be more mature, or silly; a bookworm, or a jock? Who knows with this lap around the sun?
Another aspect of the fall - the metamorphosis of greenery. Even in the movie, the leaves are changing colors. The universal sign of October. Yellows and Reds poke out of every partially hidden bush or tree limb. Leaves suddenly pipe up with new things to say. It’s like they are all ready for prom, dressed in their best and ready for showtime. The mountains seem more shapely with colorful ribbons revealing the varied foliage you didn’t notice when it was all green. Fall is about shifting colors, a brief blast of tie-dye before all is covered in snow.
If your eyes don’t get overloaded with saturation, your nose will definitely tell you when the season shifts. Cinnamon and spice notes drift through the kitchen as your baking takes an uptick. This is the time for breads and pastries, thick delicious treats filled with tempting ingredients. All the zucchini from the garden must go as the small loaf pans see daylight for the first time in many months. And pumpkin, we can’t forget the pumpkin. Every drink, snack, and edible collection must feature pumpkin in the fall. I think it’s a law, because you can’t escape it. I’m sure pumpkin-injected fuel for my car will be a thing before too long.
As an adult, fall signals the passing of warmth, lawn maintenance, daily sprinkler relocation, and daylight lingering through the evening. Fall is about transitions. It’s a small shoulder season to prepare for winter, and it feels more functional the older I get. Perhaps that’s why I like watching Tom Hanks and Dave Chappelle chide each other as old friends in cozy pockets of New York. They remind me that no matter how old you get, you have to appreciate the beauty around you while it is happening. Seasons are not something to get through, but rather something to be enjoyed. So sip that pumpkin latte, snuggle on the couch in a cozy sweater, and watch the forest briefly light up with the electric colors of the rainbow.
