I have to say, autumn is my favorite time of the year. I don’t think there’s anything prettier than a blue, autumn sky, nor do I think there’s anything more bracing than an autumn morning. After an extremely dry, hot summer, I enjoy walking outside with a rush of cold air on my face, seeing frost on the windshield of my car, and leaves being scooted by the wind across the lawn.
The animals at our house like autumn as well. All during the dry summer we had water just about everywhere for the cats, but it was just too hot, and now they’re enjoying the coolness of autumn.
Autumn gives us some of our favorite holidays. Halloween is second only to Christmas for decorations, and as you drive by a well-decorated house you know it has happy children there, or maybe the adults are going to have a whiz-bang Halloween party. It’s always good for a smile.
Thanksgiving is an autumn holiday and, of all of our holidays, it’s probably the most American. And it has grown to have its own traditions. It’s one I look forward to every year. Autumn, officially, comes to an end in December and in just a few days after that, comes Christmas.
My daughter, who lives in Canada, misses Thanksgiving more than anything. As she says, Christmas is Christmas around the world, but Thanksgiving is truly an American holiday. The Canadians have a Thanksgiving Day but it doesn’t have the traditions such as remembering the Mayflower, turkeys and all of that.
Locally, there are various festivals with the big one being the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County. It’s a grand celebration. The premise of the festival is to encourage people to come and see the covered bridges and, of course, many do, but it is also the world’s largest flea market. (It’s one of the few places I can find crabapple jelly.) Some people have their favorite towns to go to, such as Bridgeton, Mansfield and others. Even though it’s not as big a marketplace, I enjoy eating my way around the square at Rockville.
All of these things in autumn … dry leaves, pumpkins, candy for the kids and turkey with oyster dressing. Good, good, good! Maybe it’s just my appetite that makes autumn my favorite season.
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
Opinion
RONN MOTT: Autumn feeds the appetite
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