Don’t Tell Me We’ll Have an Early Fall

This week, a forecaster predicted that Fall would come early this year.

I love to swim. I love my pool. The water is crystal clear and refreshingly cool. The exercise energizes me like no other form of physical activity, and I always stare sadly at the pool after my husband closes it down for the winter. Four months open, eight months closed. Sigh.

Summer flies by here in the Great Lakes region. I’ve learned to savor every moment I spend outdoors during the warm months of the year. Glorious warm breezes rustle through the bushes and trees that form a natural privacy screen around our property. A more diverse sampling of bird breeds, like goldfinches and wrens, has stopped by our yard this year. A small brown bunny also resided for a short while under the bushes. I love swimming in this small oasis of natural beauty we’ve built in the middle of an urban neighborhood.

Great Lakes winters can be long and brutal. Come February I’m anxious for the weather to turn and dream of the days when I can once again walk outside wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals.

Would I trade my Great Lakes life for a warmer climate? Not a chance. It’s the color that explodes most vividly on sunny fall days. It’s that first shot of warm air after a long, cold winter that breathes hope for the summer to come. And, believe it or not, it’s the interesting winter weather events I’ve witnessed residing close to Lake Ontario.

So, do I look forward to Fall this year? Not yet. Not yet. I haven’t got swimming out of my system. But when I do, I will happily settle down with a pumpkin spice latte and a good book and wait for the snow to fly.