I grew up a summer kid. My birthday is the first day of summer and I grew up on a lake, so I longed for sun-filled days in a bathing suit all year. Don’t get me wrong, I still love nothing more than laying in the sunshine next to a body of water with a good book. But I grew up to become a fall girly.
Me, my sister, and my cousins, probably summer 1997.
I moved to New England in October of 2013. I arrived in Vermont after peak foliage but was still floored by the brilliant colors of the mountains. I loved going for hikes and hearing the crunch of leaves underfoot. I discovered the luxury of a hot cider donut and maple syrup in a steaming cup of coffee. I fell in love with autumn.
VINE back pasture, fall 2022
My first year in Vermont wasn’t easy. I lived alone in a one room apartment and worked multiple jobs just to survive. I didn’t make any friends for months. I was isolated and all I did was work. It was a dark period in my life, but in that time, I came to love the change of seasons. Winter starts early and lasts long in Vermont, so it wasn’t too soon after my move that I experienced my first Londonderry snowfall. There’s nothing like the silence that descends onto a small town after the first snow. It’s magical and majestic.
One of my favorite parts of fall in New England is when the seasons collide. If you drive through the mountains, you see the fiery reds and oranges of the fall foliage butt up against snow covered peaks. It’s a living reminder that the seasons melt into each other, that change is constant. That we’re always moving forward on this spinning rock in space we call home. Nothing is stagnant.
Some of the back pasture herd at VINE, Fall 2022
This year is different. It’s the first in many that I’m not watching the leaves change in the back pasture of VINE. Instead, I look out my window on Huntington Ave each morning and look at the trees that live in the median of a busy city street. This morning was the first time that I could make out the hint of orange that means the leaves are changing. Soon, I’ll look out that window and take in a masterpiece.
At the top of the back pasture, a few years ago
I’m excited for Valeria to experience her first fall in New England and her first fall ever. She’s from Medellín, the city of eternal spring. She moved to the U.S. in the winter, so this will be her first time watching the leaves change, eating cider donuts, and hearing that satisfying crunch when you step on a fallen leaf. She’ll finally get to understand why Anne of Green Gables was so glad to live in a world with Octobers. She’ll understand why so many New England artists of all sorts try to capture this season in their art. She’ll finally understand why I love nothing more than pumpkin spice latte on a chilly morning. She’ll finally get it.
The mornings are cooler and darker, but my walk to work is still sunny. I don’t look forward to the days when I walk to and from work in the dark, so I’m savoring these crisp, sun-drenched mornings. I like snuggling up under blankets with the windows open. I love drinking tea while reading a book with a cat on my lap. I’m savoring my first Boston autumn, which has so many similarities to Vermont, but is a radically different place. There’s still magic in the air, but it glitters differently. It’s a special time, autumn in New England. And I’m so lucky I get to experience it year after year. Because no matter how hard I try, the seasons keep turning and time moves on.
Valkyrie the pig, Fall 2022
And now for a Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge check-in. I’ve started the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and it’s a doozy. I’m actually surprised how clear the writing is, even if it is dense. I was expecting it to be harder to read, but it’s quite smooth going down. But it’s So. Much. Information. I feel like there’s multitudes packed into one sentence. I’m busy trying to take in one fact and then I’m smacked right in the brain with another.
Boston Public Library, September 2023
My favorite anecdote so far is that Roman legions could walk up to 20 miles in a day. A legion is huge, between four and five thousand men. And they did this carrying not only their weapons, but their tents, cooking materials, and everything else they needed for survival. It’s quite amazing when you think about it. I trekked Machu Picchu about five years ago with my sister, Caroline. We had porters carry most of our stuff. In my backpack I had necessities - first aid kit, water, snacks, extra clothes, like my raincoat and socks. It took us four days to walk 26 miles and I was exhausted each day when we rolled into camp. I can’t imagine the strength and endurance it would take to not only walk 20 miles each day but set up camp and feed yourself at the same time. And then they would go into battle when they came up against the people they were colonizing.
Anna and Caroline, Sacred Valley of Peru, Summer 2017
It just goes to show how incredible the Roman Empire was. I’m coming to appreciate what they accomplished a little bit more, and I’ve just scratched the surface. I mean, this particular series just covers the end of the empire. And it makes sense why there are so many volumes in this collection. So much happened in the Roman Empire and it’s going to take scores of ink and paper to collate it all. While there's definitely a place for brevity, I appreciate the length of this book more now that I’ve started to read it.
All in all, I’m enjoying the Decline and Fall more than I thought I would. I’m hoping to finish it before it’s due at the library, but I’m not sure that’s a possibility. I work multiple jobs, so my reading time is scarce some days and I’ve been sleeping in instead of waking up early to read.
But there’s nothing better than a fall morning when the world is still asleep. It’s my favorite time to curl up with a coffee and a book.
Here’s to fall mornings with a story as a companion.
What are you reading? And what are you looking forward to most this autumn?