First Weekend of Autumn

It’s fall! My favorite season!

Author Betsy Horvath inspired this post.

At last, after a brutal summer of fires, smoke, and intense heat, the first weekend has arrived where it really felt like fall. In Florida, this is such a welcome season that it is easily my favorite.

I was able to spend some time outside today with only a slight darkening of my skin and no misery. It’s been a very long time since we’ve been able to spend some time outside because there were so many fires in this area in the spring. The bog fire in the Okefenokee Swamp is still burning after 5 months. The peat is actually burning in the ground, and they say only a soaking tropical storm will completely put it out. And more recently, there have been fires burning in the Ocala National Forest. Both fires often blanket our area in smoke.

But today, there was no fire as we headed to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, and spent at least an hour outside, communing with butterflies.

Well … I don’t know about communing, but a few butterflies landed on me, and I even got to hold one. Way cool. My daughter got to hold it as well and we have some great pictures of her looking thoroughly delighted and enchanted. Don’t you love the expressive faces of children?

We are looking forward to more outings, because we are seriously overdue. I want to make some research trips down to St. Augustine for my time travel historical, and I want to make some for-fun trips as well. (But research is fun–really!) And I want to take some walks in the woods. I adore taking walks in the woods.

I imagine in the northern states, spring is a much-welcome season, just like fall is so welcome after summer in these parts. Sometimes, just the change is welcome, but I must say I never especially welcome spring, because I know the brutal hot summer is not far behind.

Do you have a favorite season?