Loving the Fall Season

Summer used to be my favorite season of the year. I was born in June and we always lived only one hour away from the ocean. An easy trip for someone who was born a beach bum. I could sit for hours with the soft sand under my feet, the warm sun beating down on my skin, the ocean waves repeatedly whispering it's secrets, the smell of salt in the cool air, a good book in my hands, .....aaahhhh.....all is well with my world when at the beach.

Boy, was I in for a shocker when I was informed, the closest beach was more than 2 hours away (which would no longer allow it to be a long day trip but a short excursion there and back...arg.)!!! Let me tell you, I was more than a little sad, but down right depressed. That meant for approximately the next 3 summers I would be beachless!! NOOOOoooo!

Now I'll be left with the hot blazing sun for the next 3 summers with no where to tan or relieve my scorching and melting skin except with the Lackawanna County community pool or stuck inside sitting dangerously close to the air conditioners. I think there was a tear in my eye as I saw the spirit of summer sweep away on the last warm summer breeze of 2008...goodbye my sweet summer season....

Little did I know, that on the tail end of the summer breeze, was coming a cool breeze of appreciation for Michael's favorite season...FALL.

As the leaves desperately tried to suck every last drop of chlorophyll from it's life giving tree...something beautiful began to take place....an event that has not been matched from my home in MA. Come to find out, because of it's topography, the fall season here is phenomenal!! Breathtaking!! Colors so vibrant, they should only be found in a child's crayon box! The colors are scattered all over the rolling hills of PA.

Each day, as I drove to work, the trees never ceased to amaze me. My eyes were always big as saucers, desperately trying to capture the scene before me, hoping my brain could hold the picture long enough to allow the joy to linger throughout my day, and if I was lucky, for the rest of my life.

I have started feeling excitement as I get to choose another cozy sweater to wear. Whether I'll drink hot cider, hot cocoa, or a hot cup of coffee for the day. Feeling excited to carve pumpkins, make candy apples, and eat hot soup. Now I am enjoying the sinful pleasure of my scarf collection - feeling that warmth on my neck, but enjoying the autumn breeze on my cheeks.

I'll be sad to see the autumn wind briskly whisk away the last colored leaf off a bare and skinny tree. And on the wind's tail, the bitter cold that comes with winter. But there won't be a tear in my eye, but a joy in knowing, the fall will be back. Move over summers in MA! There's a new season I love. It's found in the new place I call home...Pennsylvania.