The Arrival of Autumn

Fall is one of the nicest times of the year here in Wisconsin, as the trees turn from their summer long greens to vivid colours of yellow, orange, red, and if you're especially lucky, even purple. The newspapers are filled with scientific reasons about why this happens, and what the perfect conditions are... but who cares?!! Just enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Some trees have 'turned' already, which may be a little too soon, but most are only now beginning to change.

The arrival of autumn also means that winter is not that far away. Saturday night in particular, walking home to the apartment, I got the feeling that the cold, and the snow, were just around the corner. With the stars glistening in the clear sky, and the wind rolling in off the lake, the biting atmosphere forced me to don a coat and sweater (something you have to avoid for as long as possible here in Wisconsin, so you have layers left when the real cold starts, and I was reminded of what winters are like in Wisconsin.

I feel 'in my bones' that it's going to be a bad winter. That will certainly be true if the weather this summer is anything to go by. Wisconsin experienced 40 tornadoes in two months, when the yearly average for the state is 21. Couple that with the stifling humidity when we first arrived, and the tremendous thunderstorms with marble size hailstones, and you have yourself some crazy weather.

I remember the thunderstorms last time I was in Madison, but we didn't have the first one until spring. Just a few weeks ago we had an almighty one right outside our apartment, so close that the flash of lightening and thunderous bang came at exactly the same time, and raised all the hairs on my legs with the static energy.

Shorts were also my most worn attire in my first couple of months here. I recall wearing them mostly all through October, enjoying the extremely mild weather, and thinking winter wouldn't be bad at all. How wrong I was. But this year, though there have been some glorious days for shorts, it has also gotten exceedingly chilly, and miserable a couple of days. The furnaces have been turned on in our apartment, and it appears the winter might be rolling in.

Let's hope there are a few great autumn days left for exploring the countryside. Apple picking and corn mazes anyone?

Comments

[Pam]

Ben: I agree that Autumn is beautiful and probably our favorite time of year -- the weather is pleasant, not too humid and not too cold, and the colors of the leaves are amazing. Your recollections from your first Autumn in Wisconsin really ring true. I remember thinking the same thing in early November of our first real Winter here. It wasn't that cold, so I thought maybe we were going to have a "mild" Winter. I too was sadly mistaken. But you get used to it. Having four real seasons is nice; I just wish the one called Winter didn't last so much longer than the other three! Based on this week, you wouldn't know that Winter really is right around the corner. Enjoy this little taste of Indian Summer. It might actually be 80 degrees tomorrow! In California, Indian Summer lasted much longer; in Wisconsin, this might be it. Take care!
Love, Pam