Fall

Fall, named for leafs which do and golf putts which don't, has arrived.

I don't care what the thermometer or the thermostat reads this week it's fall. It has to be fall because high school, college and professional football is in full swings, the baseball playoffs are knocking on the door and the daylight hours are declining faster than worthwhile network programming.

I use that opening column phrase every year at this time pholks, simply because I believe in honoring the change of seasons. I never have been able to find just the right “Farewell to summer” or “Hello Fall” Hallmark cards or even the more silly style greeting cards to send to certain pholks so I express my sentiments in print.

Even if I were to find some cards it would be a lost cause. By the time I bought them, got them signed, stamped and mailed the bigger holiday season would be drawing near. Not only do I save time, energy and money by not engaging in fruitless shopping, I escape the danger of potential personal embarrassment. I don't have to fret over being sure to not get the wrong personalized hand-signed message to the wrong person. Since I'm a certified senior citizen and most of the people I would send autumn greetings to are seniors, a certain degree of sensitivity would be prudent.

“Have a nice fall” or “Hope you fall brings you joy, pleasure and peace of mind” or “You certainly deserve a great fall” would likely not be well received.

The choice of cute fall cards is a little better but again you have to be careful in your choice of recipients.

A card stating “Squirrels are out gathering acorns and nuts so keep you eyes open and take care” might not be taken well by someone who has been acting a little strange.

And in an election year, being politically correct is even more difficult than normal. Basically I don't really worry about such a thing, but I admit that I don't go out of my way to create any overt controversy.

Jotting down a note on a generic greeting card with an invitation to share some “tea” might land me in more hot water than a Lipton flo-thru bag. Or “now is the time for change” could be taken as a political message.

I really do like fall and look forward it each year especially when the temperatures of summer take their toll on a body which doesn't need tanning, hates being covered with sun-block and has lost what appeal it used to have to the other gender.

Sweating also isn't as neat as it used to be. Neither is walking more than three blocks in mid-day during summer.

Perhaps the biggest plus for fall is the changing of colors on leafs before they detach themselves from the trees. I've always liked fall colors and look ahead each year to discovering just how many hues I can find here in the Valley, the foothills and mountains.

Fall is, in my opinion, the most subtle of all the seasons. The other three seem to be more dramatic or brash in their debuts. Maybe it is just something I associate with age. I no longer am as eager rush into anything as I once did nor am I as surprised when the unexpected happens.

So pholks, if you didn't get my card last fall or the fall before that, I'm sorry. Perhaps I mistakenly missed putting your name on the list which also doubled as my holiday card list. And since I've given up, at least temporarily, on hunting for just the right fall greetings cards it is unlikely you will get one next year.

May your fall be a pleasant one.