Here Comes Autumn
Not more than a week ago I smelled Fall in the air. For some reason August played cool, which felt wonderful. Now, we're getting some more heat, but it will feel like Fall again soon enough.
I love autumn. Somehow it smells like school and new books and old friends. It represents the end of baseball and the beginning of football. (For that alone, Fall makes me think of George Carlin and HBO comedy specials.) Often enough, it led to a new Rush album and a new season of television (and with it, sweeps).
I remember one particular fall in high school (probably my senior year) where our football team played an away game. A downpour of rain hit after we changed from our marching band uniforms... my leather jacket took a beating from mother nature. The rain was really only the first step... after that, it developed quite a lot of character. I still have it, but my arms are a little longer. (According to my doctor's visit this morning I'm certainly not as scrawny as I was back then.)
Symbolicly, autumn preceeds death... the fall of man leading to the cold and sterile winter. (Got that from one of my great high school teachers... Melchoir.) My family might see that symbolism realized as one of my uncles is not in great health. That's all speculation, of course, and hopefully he'll be around for a long time. However, it's just a reminder that my older relatives will eventually go and he is no exception.
The more and more I see my uncle (and, I need to visit him soon), he reminds me more of my grandfather. My uncle's face seems round like my grandfather. He grins like my grandfather. A few years ago at a family reunion our big picture turned out great... and my uncle didn't so much grin as beam. Maybe he's just a funny old guy now. I still remember him with a cigar from all of the old family holidays when I was but a curmudgeon in training... like Thanksgiving in the fall.
I love autumn. Somehow it smells like school and new books and old friends. It represents the end of baseball and the beginning of football. (For that alone, Fall makes me think of George Carlin and HBO comedy specials.) Often enough, it led to a new Rush album and a new season of television (and with it, sweeps).
I remember one particular fall in high school (probably my senior year) where our football team played an away game. A downpour of rain hit after we changed from our marching band uniforms... my leather jacket took a beating from mother nature. The rain was really only the first step... after that, it developed quite a lot of character. I still have it, but my arms are a little longer. (According to my doctor's visit this morning I'm certainly not as scrawny as I was back then.)
Symbolicly, autumn preceeds death... the fall of man leading to the cold and sterile winter. (Got that from one of my great high school teachers... Melchoir.) My family might see that symbolism realized as one of my uncles is not in great health. That's all speculation, of course, and hopefully he'll be around for a long time. However, it's just a reminder that my older relatives will eventually go and he is no exception.
The more and more I see my uncle (and, I need to visit him soon), he reminds me more of my grandfather. My uncle's face seems round like my grandfather. He grins like my grandfather. A few years ago at a family reunion our big picture turned out great... and my uncle didn't so much grin as beam. Maybe he's just a funny old guy now. I still remember him with a cigar from all of the old family holidays when I was but a curmudgeon in training... like Thanksgiving in the fall.
posted by Badda at
10:23:00 AM
