Autumn Equinox

Tomorrow is the autumn equinox, that time when daylight and nighttime are given equal 12-hours portions of the day. It’s nature’s divide between summer and fall, here in the northern hemisphere (and winter and spring in the southern hemisphere).

When I lived further north, it was always a bittersweet time for me. I loved summer’s warmth, the long nights spent lounging outside on the deck watching the stars arc overhead and raccoons traveling by “aerial highways” made from electric wires strung at the back of our block’s properties. But I also loved the cooling weather, the gorgeous fall foliage, the brisk breezes and the calls of migrating geese passing overhead. Cider, pumpkins, and the first lighting of the wood-burning stove were all things to be gladly anticipated.

Here in north-central Florida, it’s still the fall equinox. But now I look forward to different things: cooler weather, yes, but now it’s simply pleasantly bearable, not crisp, that I’m looking forward to. Mid-day walks without needing a shower afterwards?  !!!  What bliss! And I’m looking forward to having the windows open at mid-day, again, too. Fresh air inside–hurray!

Persimmons will be coming into their too-short season, and afterwards, fresh citrus will arrive at the farmers’ markets. On walks, large Golden Orb Spiders and their often 3-dimensional webs are seen along the paths, which I admit kind of creep me out even as they fascinate me. It’ll be a long time ’til we’ll need to use the fireplace for warmth, but we may have a fire in the outside fire pit some evening, just for the joy of it.  Instead of geese flying overhead, I’ll start craning my ears to hear the returning Sandhill Cranes sometime in December. And now I can start planting veggies in the garden again, overwintering crops like spinach, leeks, broccoli, and beets quite easily in this milder climate.

Here’s to a blissful autumn for us all, wherever you may be.