fall

Signs of Autumn

Posted on by winnipegishere

Last week I switched the heat on in the car. Did anyone else notice that sudden chill in the air? It happened so fast. It was 33°C one day and then the air got a little crisp. I also saw a gaggle of geese flying in a v formation. It was one of those moments when time slows down. All I could hear as their honking grew fainter was my own voice saying “Noooo, it’s too soon!” Luckily it seems that it was only a brief preview and August warmth has returned.

And yet, there are other approaching signs of the inevitability of autumn. Everyone is heading back to school. Or it seems like it anyway.  I kind of miss going back to school, especially university. I always felt pumped about at least one course that I would be taking. That may be nostalgia talking though,  because when I did go back to school, it was horrible. The stress.. the late night cramming… the poverty. Hmm. Anyway at this point, all back to school means for me is no sleeping in on work days. Regular rush hour traffic is back. See you next June, snooze button.

It’s around this time of year that my kitchen starts to interest me again. I hate cooking in the summer. Between May and August, food needs to be served either cold or grilled to sound appealing. The majority of our summer dinners are salads or charcuterie boards. As soon as squashes start to make their appearance though, stews and casseroles suddenly sound so good again. I’ve already started to bookmark recipes from my favorite recipe blogs so that I can get back into meal planning. If you’re like me and love to browse recipes, you might be interested in another local blog called Peppers and Pennies. How delicious does this cheddar ale soup look?

Or if you’re still not in cooking mode yet, consider tickets to a fall supper in the country. It’s a good opportunity to get on the highway and see some of the beautiful fall foliage while also getting back into some comfort food. Not interested in driving out to the country? You can also find a list of fall suppers within the perimeter here.

Either way, food is definitely the best way to ease yourself into a new season. What is your favorite part of autumn to look forward to?

Fall First

Posted on by winnipegishere

Today I was looking through flyers trying to figure out what store had my favorite frozen pizza on sale when I saw it. A Halloween candy sale. I closed the flyer pretending it never happened. Unfortunately what has been seen cannot be unseen. Even though you know it’s coming, there is still the moment of denial  when it does. It can’t be that time of year again.

These last weeks are a drawn out traumatic affair. By mid-August, everyone sinks into poorly concealed desperation. You can hear underlying dread in casual comments about earlier sunsets and cooler nights. Secretly we wonder if living under a Trump presidency or Mexican drug lords might be a bit of a treat compared to winter. No other seasonal shift causes this much anguish. There are just so many things ending. Lake season winds down. Holidays are over. Patios get packed away. And  oh. Do you hear that? The honking, not of traffic, but of geese. Even the animals don’t stick around because they know what’s coming.

Fall is a nice in-between season that gets overlooked because of two unfortunate features; it’s short and it precludes winter. So much so, that the way some people talk about it as if summer turns directly into winter. Every time I mention the school year or early nights, someone is there to whisper “Winter is coming” in my ear. Let’s just hold off for a minute. Summer isn’t technically over until September 22nd. And the daytime won’t be shorter than the nighttime until after September 22nd. Even then, it starts off gradual. It’s not until Daylight Savings time ends that it really gets dark early. And that’s not until November 6th. We should train ourselves to look forward to Autumn because it’s a really lovely season. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they dislike it. People regularly hate spring (too messy), summer (too hot), and winter (too cold). Autumn is the best of all worlds. There are no bugs tormenting us. The temperature is perfect for walking and outdoor activities in general. We get stunning displays of colourful leaves. We finally have a chance to wear the nice ‘cold weather‘ clothes like booties, leather jackets and insulated vests instead of actual winter clothes. My favorite part of fall is actually wanting to cook again. Comfort foods like stews, soups, crisps, and pumpkin everything sounds so good. There is so much to enjoy so between now and November 6th, let’s put winter out of our minds. By the time that dreaded day rolls around, we might be so full of pumpkin spice that we won’t even mind.

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