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And all at once,
summer collapsed into fall…
(Oscar Wilde)
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The sweltering summer heat took a momentary reprieve over the weekend. Finally.
When we woke up Saturday morning, it felt like the entire Southern U.S., which had seemingly been holding its breath for months at this point — its cheeks vermilion and its lungs ready to burst at any moment — had breathed a much-needed sigh of relief overnight. It felt like autumn in an instant, with blustery winds and a chill in the air chasing away the previous day’s record highs. Yes! So we did exactly what we do each year when these brief moments of false fall come our way:
We lean in. Hard.
Most years our annual family trip to Burt’s Pumpkin Patch is characterized by sweat and denial. Not this year. It seemed as if every suburban family from the Atlanta area had the same idea when they awoke to temps in the 70s on Saturday — get to the North Georgia mountains before the relentless heat returns — but we didn’t mind the crowds. In fact, it was Southern hospitality at its best — Carefree and kind people, all glad to be in the same place, not sweating, together.
How I love fall, as false as it may be at times.
So even when summer inevitably rears its ugly head with a heat wave of revenge here in the next few days, I will hold onto the memories of this past weekend for dear life, and simply reply, HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!
P.S. Please note the (illustrated) list of To-Dos Cricket made for our day. She is my child after all!
And then we Booed the neighbors!
And hid “inconspicuously” and waited impatiently for them to find the Boo.
Burt’s Pumpkin Patch 2012-2019
