A Bientot Summer; Welcome Autumn

Here in Montana, we join the the rest of the north country in a splendid, vibrant season change as we say a bientot to summer and welcome to autumn.  It is the most dramatic of the season changes and is something that must be experienced to appreciate!

A Bientot Summer

The leaves on many of the trees change from green to orange, yellow or red as the days get shorter and nighttime temps drop.

There isn’t a particular day that it happens.  It is different every year but sometime in late August, or in September or maybe even in October, there is a different feel to the air here.

As a gardener, it means the end of the gardening season and we start watching the weather for the frost that will end the garden plants.  We have to harvest what we want or freezing temperatures will turn the produce to mush in the garden.

I love the hot temperatures and long days of summer! It is a little sad to say “see you in a while” to all the light and heat I enjoy. However, there is something about the change in the air and the vibrant colors of the leaves that brings peace to my soul.

Welcome Autumn Means Weather Changes

While the temperature and weather can change rapidly here, it seems to me that those rapid changes happen most often in the fall.  Sometimes it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with 30 degrees Fahrenheit nighttime temperatures.  We have seen highs in the 90s and snow on the ground the next morning.

As a gardener, those rapid changes usually mean that we just cover tomatoes and peppers with tarps at night until we get time to harvest all we want.

Weather Lore About Autumn

It has been pea-soup foggy almost every morning this week.  There is lore that 90 days after fog, there will be precipitation.  The more days in a row and the heavier the fog, the more precipitation.  If the fog appears in October the precipitation will be a snowstorm in January.  I usually mentally try to keep track of this but I don’t write it down anywhere.  In my head, it is fairly accurate but Cameron says that when the world in my head meets the real world, I usually end up with a migraine.  So I guess, check it out for yourself.  I also don’t know if it works everywhere.  Just let me know what you found out.

There is a lot more lore about the ways that nature forecasts weather, especially in Autumn.  One way to say a bientot summer and welcome autumn is to spend some time visiting The Old Farmer’s Almanac site.  Learning about the weather and how it affects us can be a great way to ground yourself in times of stress.

Autumn is Busy in the Country

Our squash, gourds and pumpkin harvest happens after the frost has killed the vines and set the sugar in the squash and pumpkins.

Autumn usually means we are hurrying to finish up outside home projects, harvesting, and winterizing.  All the signs and the calendar point to snow stopping or slowing our outside work.

As we have explained in The Accidental Family Caregiver, we grow and harvest and preserve our garden produce so we can provide safe, nutritious food for our family.  We enjoy the garden and the harvest and the sharing.

Our kids are able to pick out all that they want (sometimes probably more than they want) and we share with others as well.  Whatever is left the chickens enjoy even all winter in the case of the squash.

Find a Way to Enjoy Autumn in the North

Take some time to say a bientot summer; welcome autumn in your own way.  How about a drive down a country road with the windows open.  Maybe go fishing on a warm afternoon.  A vacation to enjoy the sights, smells and flavors of autumn might be just what your soul needs.