Fall Fever

The calendar is still a good 5 weeks from the autumnal equinox but I already have fall fever. Temperatures have dropped out of the 90’s and that’s apparently all it takes to get me thinking about fall projects and chores. I’ve already started a fall knitting project and have canned a few quarts of peaches and green beans. The first of the fall hawkwatches are already counting southbound migrants. Is it time to take the air conditioner out of the window?

Whenever cooler weather arrives, I always “wake up.” Some years it’s though I’ve done little but sleepwalk through the summer. My only thoughts revolve around how to stay cool, and I rarely get too far from a cold iced tea. Anything more than that is just too much effort. With the arrival of cooler weather, I suddenly notice how dirty the cabin is and wonder why I haven’t moved that stack of books that’s been on the floor for weeks. Suddenly I have energy and ambition again and realize just how much that was lacking during summer’s heat.

It’s easy to put off chores and projects when I have the excuse of hot weather. Now, I have no excuses for delaying any longer—and that’s the bad news. There’s something to be said for having a good reason not to do anything productive. Now that my summer excuse doesn’t hold water, those lazy days have to give way to doing more about my projects than just thinking about them.