Falling Backwards: Autumn Memories

     As a kid I thought autumn was great. Though it was when school started, it didn’t mean that fun had to end. It meant a few more games of outdoor sports in the backyard before winter, bike rides on the sidewalks and the streets before it goes into the garage until spring, picking out a costume for Halloween, and seeing family for Thanksgiving. It was never the end, it just meant things had to slow down for a while.

     I remember speeding my bike through the leaves on the ground so they would fly up into the air and fall to the ground as I followed my friends around after school. The weather was usually great for bike riding around town and playing backyard sports. My hometown has a scarecrow festival in September each year that has each group and store from the town put up scarecrows to display on Main Street. While not as big as my personal favorite festival Canal Days, it is a nice little event to walk along on a nice weekend.

              

     The farmers market and apple orchards were the go to places in the autumn due to most crops being in peak season. When it came to the fall farmers market they had a much wider selection to chose from and are bound to have many more treats like caramel apples, kettle corn, homemade candy corn, and so on. I liked the apple orchards more since they had much more going on to keep us around. A favorite of mine was the pumpkin chucking via catapult, though they also had corn mazes and hay rides. I recall drinking cider and watching pumpkins being launched to hit targets while I had the stick end of a caramel apple in the other hand.

     Halloween has been and still is one of my favorite holidays. The costumes and candy were and still are my favorite, though in a more grown up setting. It was fun going to the local Party City and looking at all the Halloween stuff while picking out what to wear for the year. If it was on a school day the school would have a Halloween costume parade as well as a party for the students. After class we went back home to eat dinner and meet with friends for Trick or Treating going to houses near our meeting point before trekking over to the rich neighborhoods for the full size bars. After our adventure we gathered at someone’s house and traded our candy while Halloween movies and specials played on TV before getting picked up or being called to come home if we were close enough.

As Thanksgiving approached, the more leaves fell and the colder it got. I used to go on random day trips with my family to watch the leaves fall and see the trees. We didn’t have to travel far for it. The shades of orange, yellow, red, and brown made it more mystifying than it was since it is ever changing, and colors mixed on the same leaf as well. I also enjoyed the decorations in front of the houses. Seeing the scarecrows and pumpkins made it fun.

As for Thanksgiving itself, I would be watching my grandmother and mother cook while the Macy’s Parade and whatever cartoons and movies were on TV before dinner as my empty stomach growled at me throughout the day. Before dinner, family came with their own offerings as we gathered in the kitchen and living room. When dinner time came we sat at the table, well the adults did, I had to sit at the kids table until I was about twelve. We had the small TV playing in the corner of the kitchen while the kids ate. After dinner it was the family tradition to decorate the Christmas tree and light it up.

Being an adult I still love autumn. It’s perfect for looking back and reflecting on both the memories of the past summer as well as years gone by. The leaves still amaze me whenever I see them. The little things in autumn can bring out the best of memories. So enjoy this season and give time to look back and enjoy life.