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Kathy Bohannon Columnist

Published Sunday, October 09, 2011

Fall celebration

I'm so happy fall is here, but at some point I fell out of love with summer. I think it was when I realized my kids were grown and there was no one left to celebrate the end of the school year.

Fall is just days old and I've already been savoring its nippy greeting each morning and its cool evening kiss. And I love being refreshed in late afternoon by a bit of breeze.

Every day after arriving home, I've climbed into my hammock on the back porch. Our neighbor Richard arrives like clockwork, delighting our dogs who wait for him every single day so they can get a treat through the fence between our homes. Our houses are close to one another and I hear him talking sweetly to the pups who bring their treats into the screened porch as if they are considering sharing with me.

It's the sounds of the day winding down. A gentle grind of metal against metal as my hammock sways just a bit, cars slowly maneuvering the alley that runs behind our homes, and finally, my husband John arriving in his truck. I'm content that I'm not watching television or listening to music, but rather taking in the tail end of a work day and the absolute pleasure of a brand new fall moment.

It's that time of year when we use a teeny bit of heat in the morning but switch to air conditioning mid day, or better yet just open the windows -- whether car or house -- and take in that fresh air.

If there's anything I don't like about fall is that it only lasts a matter of weeks before it makes its evolution into the dark and dreary winter. But we have to have the good with the bad, that's what mom always said.

And mom was as nuts about fall as she was spring. My sister Barbara and I have the exact same memories of mom in her apron, busy at the stove on a beautiful fall day, windows open and curtains billowing. And though we have not lived together in probably 40 years, Barbara and I discovered a few years ago that we both use simple sheer curtains at our windows so that they can billow like mom's used to.

I admit I got a bit carried away this year when I opened my windows to air out the house from summer. We get an excellent cross breeze -- probably because I actually consider that before buying a house -- and I couldn't wait to go from room to room opening windows.

With all the windows open as far as they would go, I threw open the front and back doors, letting as much cool air in as possible. I was excited when I noticed that my husband John had put the screen in place of the glass on the storm door so I had a ton of cool air wafting in.

After about 20 minutes, I changed into a long sleeved shirt. A few minutes longer and the dogs were curled up in a clump, three noses tucked here and there and an occasional shiver, their short hair no match for my fall celebration.

Feeling sorry for the little guys, I decided maybe I was a bit too enthused and should close a window or two. Reluctantly, I went from room to room again, closing one of two here, half closing another there. The process continued as it got cooler, and by the time John got home I had just one window on either end of the house open and the dogs were wearing sweaters.

But for now I'll fling open those windows every chance I get to soak in what happens to be my favorite season at the moment. And it will continue to be until spring when just a nip of winter will linger in the air and once again I can open those windows, watch my sheer curtains billow and celebrate a whole new season.

Until then, the dogs will wear their sweaters and I'll put on the long sleeves. Or better yet, just take a quilt to the hammock on the screen porch so I can stretch out and listen to the sounds of a beautiful fall day winding down.

It's fall and I don't want to miss a minute of it.

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