We moved to Colorado from Pennsylvania in the fall 26 years ago. At first I found the season really disconcerting...sometimes really too hot, sometimes snow on my birthday. No sugar maples to make that fall leaf smell I grew up with. Now I revel in the cinnamon-y scent of the cottonwoods, the chiles roasting at the farmers market, and the cool mornings and hot afternoons are my signals.
What a beautiful vulture drawing, Neko!! My favorite thing about fall is that summer is over, there’s a chill in the air, and the air smells…different. Also, whereas gloomy weather gives my poor partner the SADS, intense sunlight gives me the MADS.
Same here, MariNaomi. I'm a cranky pants when every day is a fruit salad day. I need a good soup day every so often. I love the smell of the autumn leaves.
The reflection of the sun on the leaves as they turn yellow outside our bedroom window. I also get a kick out of the squirrels putting walnuts on our deck one day in funny places (between a fold up chair, underneath the table and next to the house and railing) only to find they have taken them away the next.
To detect the changing season here in Austin, one must be adept at noticing the very subtle shifts in the wind direction and the dance between light and shadow. There is a constant refrain from folks who either aren't from here or those who aren't practicing perception, that in Austin there is only summer and summer-light and no other season--just variations of brown.
It's a smug sort of feeling I have because I KNOW what to notice and how to find gratitude for the changes in sunlight and shifts of wind direction (ugggg and the rise of ragweed pollen) . These observations assure me that, finally, summer's exhausting heat grip is waning. There is a restorative sense bound up in that tug-of-war between seasons that proves we have survived summer (maybe the coolest summer of the rest of our lives).
Here in Nebraska, I love watching the sumac turn bright red and for the heat and humidity to dissipate enough for hikes with my dogs. The 11 year old husky can’t go far even on regular walks in the summer, but come the fall he’ll go for miles. The young husky mixes never care how hot it is, but I won’t risk their health, of course. There is nothing better than being outdoors with my Monsters.
Here in Traverse City I am watching the leaves begin to turn and cooler temps have arrived. We are preparing for our last (and best) music festival of the year- Earthwork Harvest Gathering, held on a large family farm. There will be 3 stages and 90 bands, mostly local folks. It is an incredible community and I feel so lucky to be a part of it! Good luck with your new songs- can’t wait to hear what you’ve come up with. Love you Neko😍
I’m in Tucson, Arizona—I moved here in 2020 from Safford, Arizona, where I was born and raised and which is generally only a few degrees cooler. Tucson (and, really, all of the low desert of Arizona) has only two seasons: Summer and Mild. Summer here is something to be tolerated, survived, and complained about; it’s the Mild (October-April) for which we Tucsonans live. As soon as the close of monsoon season, with its teasingly brief temperature drops, we begin preparing for the milder temperatures, gathering our pants and longsleeves (and sometimes jackets, too) and hoping for the longest Mild season yet.
Here in southwestern Ohio, the tops of the trees are just now revealing their kiss of fall in the canopy of leaves. Yellow first this year. I don't smell autumn yet, but I think the next big rain will usher that in. Very much looking forward to a new album. <3
Here in Houston, I'll observe that the days are shortening, temp down a bit, yesterday was pleasantly overcast for a while, and the pool at my complex has been chilly the past two mornings and evenings. More people sitting outside to eat. Maybe next summer I'll try to be away for a while-- we'll see. But it is nice to notice the local shifts. Btw, yes, I like the vulture! Nice one. I'm feeling more like drawing lately too, and journaled outside the other evening : ).
I do love the feeling of a breeze through my leg hair
Right?
1000%
“It tickled the hair on my legs and I felt an insect feeling, like my antennae were trying to tell me something was coming.”
Lyricist who speak Autumn. This is what I like about Fall. This is what I like about Neko Case. She reminds the brain we used to have four seasons.
What a wonderful description that is of the first intimation of Fall
We moved to Colorado from Pennsylvania in the fall 26 years ago. At first I found the season really disconcerting...sometimes really too hot, sometimes snow on my birthday. No sugar maples to make that fall leaf smell I grew up with. Now I revel in the cinnamon-y scent of the cottonwoods, the chiles roasting at the farmers market, and the cool mornings and hot afternoons are my signals.
What a beautiful vulture drawing, Neko!! My favorite thing about fall is that summer is over, there’s a chill in the air, and the air smells…different. Also, whereas gloomy weather gives my poor partner the SADS, intense sunlight gives me the MADS.
Same here, MariNaomi. I'm a cranky pants when every day is a fruit salad day. I need a good soup day every so often. I love the smell of the autumn leaves.
Living in a college town, the energy tends to match the school year. Fall here feels optimistic, almost like the entire city is in a heady rush.
The reflection of the sun on the leaves as they turn yellow outside our bedroom window. I also get a kick out of the squirrels putting walnuts on our deck one day in funny places (between a fold up chair, underneath the table and next to the house and railing) only to find they have taken them away the next.
To detect the changing season here in Austin, one must be adept at noticing the very subtle shifts in the wind direction and the dance between light and shadow. There is a constant refrain from folks who either aren't from here or those who aren't practicing perception, that in Austin there is only summer and summer-light and no other season--just variations of brown.
It's a smug sort of feeling I have because I KNOW what to notice and how to find gratitude for the changes in sunlight and shifts of wind direction (ugggg and the rise of ragweed pollen) . These observations assure me that, finally, summer's exhausting heat grip is waning. There is a restorative sense bound up in that tug-of-war between seasons that proves we have survived summer (maybe the coolest summer of the rest of our lives).
I feel this way about L.A. We absolutely have all the seasons here, they're just more nuanced. I love this!
Super perception powers at work :)
my favorite fall moment in los angeles is when green persimmons begin to orange
Here in Nebraska, I love watching the sumac turn bright red and for the heat and humidity to dissipate enough for hikes with my dogs. The 11 year old husky can’t go far even on regular walks in the summer, but come the fall he’ll go for miles. The young husky mixes never care how hot it is, but I won’t risk their health, of course. There is nothing better than being outdoors with my Monsters.
Super stoked for a new album!
Here in Traverse City I am watching the leaves begin to turn and cooler temps have arrived. We are preparing for our last (and best) music festival of the year- Earthwork Harvest Gathering, held on a large family farm. There will be 3 stages and 90 bands, mostly local folks. It is an incredible community and I feel so lucky to be a part of it! Good luck with your new songs- can’t wait to hear what you’ve come up with. Love you Neko😍
Cool mornings, picking mushrooms in the forest 💚
Gorgeous drawing 😍
I’m in Tucson, Arizona—I moved here in 2020 from Safford, Arizona, where I was born and raised and which is generally only a few degrees cooler. Tucson (and, really, all of the low desert of Arizona) has only two seasons: Summer and Mild. Summer here is something to be tolerated, survived, and complained about; it’s the Mild (October-April) for which we Tucsonans live. As soon as the close of monsoon season, with its teasingly brief temperature drops, we begin preparing for the milder temperatures, gathering our pants and longsleeves (and sometimes jackets, too) and hoping for the longest Mild season yet.
Here in southwestern Ohio, the tops of the trees are just now revealing their kiss of fall in the canopy of leaves. Yellow first this year. I don't smell autumn yet, but I think the next big rain will usher that in. Very much looking forward to a new album. <3
That’s a really well rendered buzzard! It couldn’t have pose long for that.
The slant of light changing and a forecast of 93 in Austin. Plus some birthdays and ACL on the horizon!
Here in Houston, I'll observe that the days are shortening, temp down a bit, yesterday was pleasantly overcast for a while, and the pool at my complex has been chilly the past two mornings and evenings. More people sitting outside to eat. Maybe next summer I'll try to be away for a while-- we'll see. But it is nice to notice the local shifts. Btw, yes, I like the vulture! Nice one. I'm feeling more like drawing lately too, and journaled outside the other evening : ).
Is that a new Neko Case album you’re working on or New Pornographers?