Ode to Fall

There's something strangely beautiful about a porch on a late summer afternoon. A whiff of fall carnivals and peanuts almost reaches your nose. It's the kind of day when even busy streets are quiet -- afraid they'll awake the sleeping summer again. Everyone's ready for a new season, for the rush of summer to fall away and the warmth of slow crisp days to begin.

No one will miss the allergies, sticky heat, and lawn mowing. No one will care about Yard of the Month, or those pesky five pounds that made your swimsuit look like rubber bands around sausages.

Nope.

All the cares will hibernate until next year. There will be new worries, sure, but cool air brings people together. We will celebrate surviving the brutal heat by feasting on turkey and fruit cake -- stuffing rolls under sweaters.

This is the season of warm colors, loving faces, and enjoying front porches. It's a time for masquerade parties, wishbones, and kissing Prince Charming under store-bought mistletoe.

For everything there is a season, and this season is mine.