Out of Season Response

In my opinion, the “beginning of fall” is not concrete – there is no specific moment where it goes from being summer to fall. It is a gradual transition – mostly throughout the month of September – where the weather cools down and the leaves start changing. If I had to pick a “specific” moment, I’d definitely say that the beginning of fall is when the leaves have changed significantly. I keep a close eye on the trees and the color of their leaves, so when everything is a brilliant shade of red or orange, that’s when fall begins to me. I’ve gone to outdoor concerts in the early fall, I’ve been to the beach in the early fall, et cetera. Those are summer things to me – not fall. October is when things get kicked into second gear; that’s when “fall activities” begin, even if the leaves haven’t changed.

To me, the other seasons also have varying times. Spring starts when the leaves and flowers begin to grow back and the air starts smelling pleasant. Summer starts when the weather goes above 80-85 for a prolonged period, probably a week or so, and humid. And, generally, winter begins at Christmas. This ignores the gradual transitional period between most of these seasons (although, the most pronounced of the transitions is almost certainly between summer and fall), but this is a good rule of thumb in my eyes.

So, what do I think of this “limbo” between summer and fall? I like it. The weather isn’t too hot or too cold, the air gets a bit crisper, the leaves start to look interesting. The worst part about fall is what comes next – winter. I don’t like winter; I don’t like the cold. But for now, I’m enjoying the nice weather and ability to go outside and do things while I can.