Roxanne Tellier: Summer’s Almost Gone

Looks like summer is packing up her bags and leaving us for another year. Can’t say I’ll miss her; she had quite an attitude. In fact, if this summer was a woman, I’d call her Kim Kardashian; entitled, bestowing her gifts grudgingly, smiling only for the camera, and crying at inopportune moments. (kimcrying)

Canadians yearn for hot, sunny days though the cold snows of winter – it’s what keeps us from succumbing to cabin fever and despair. I’m already dreading the weight of winter coats and boots, and praying I don’t add to the total of just how many times one person can break an ankle.

Luckily, we have those other two ‘in between’ seasons to cheer us. I do love the smell of fall. The crisp, clean scent of September makes me want to throw out my arms and breathe deeply, hair blowing in the wind, while a more appropriately aged DiCaprio type clutches me around what used to be my waist. A girl can dream.

Fall feels like how crunchy apples taste. I want to cook rich stews that I’ve laced with red wine, and chop root vegetables into pieces small enough to fit deliciously on a spoon, cooked to tender perfection. And deserts – I never want desert unless it’s cold outside. Ah, but when it is, I dream of candy apples and pumpkin pies, or chocolaty bars oozing caramel. Fall feels like food that will comfort, but never cause weight gain.

“Oh ready or not, here I come, Gee that used to be such fun.” Jay and The Techniques “Apple Peaches Pumpkin Pie”  

And Fall feels like friendship, and road trips, and the general admiring of nature’s showy beauty. The fall is perfect for long, bracing walks, with crinkled, rosy leaves underfoot, the tip of your nose red from the wind, and a glow on your cheeks. Stroll by the lake, and watch as Toronto’s stubborn geese tummy surf the waves lashing the shore. There’s a sensuality about this season. The languor of summer leaves the body ready for the vigor of autumn. Days are spent preparing for winter; nights are for cuddling in front of a roaring fire, with a warm drink and a hot man.

“I guess my feet know where they want me to go. Walking on a country road.” James Taylor, “Country Road” 

Fall can even makes Sunday, the day before the dreaded Monday, feel good. Get up and out! Ride a bike! And then pop a succulent roast in the oven and surround it with parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions, before digging out a good book to read, curled up on the sofa. Between the heat of the oven, the scent of the cooking meal, and the rhythm of the words, you’ll end up as relaxed and pliable as silly putty.

“My fingers trace your every outline, yeah. Paint a picture with my hands” Maroon 5 “Sunday Morning”

I even feel smarter in the fall. That back to school vibe kicks in, and I think, “why, yes, I do believe I could learn Mandarin this year.” Reality generally kicks in before I make it through a full term, but for a few brief, shining moments, I really enjoy the smell of textbooks, sharpened pencils, and institutional floor polish.

“One thing isn’t very clear, my love. Should the teacher stand so near, my love?”  Amy Winehouse “Teach Me Tonight”

When you’re walking home through a foggy, damp night, fall feels like a Stephen King novel that scares you just enough to make you walk a little faster, with your heart pounding, and an overactive imagination creating ghostly creatures in the shadows. Fall makes you grateful for the key you turn in your door, the safe haven of your home.

“If you go out to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise.” Drastic Measures “Teddy Bears’ Picnic”

Fall is a time for gratitude, for being thankful for what you have. With grateful eyes and a grateful heart, we see and understand how much is given to us, simply through the turning of the seasons. Glorious sunrises and fiery sunsets open and close our days. Winds will blow, rain will fall, and inevitably, snow will return. Whether we tend to the trees or not, they will grow and die on a schedule all of their own.  The leaves will fall, but not by our hand.

“But I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall.” Nat King Cole, “The Autumn Leaves”  

We look at those we love, and realize that we can, indeed, make it through another winter, with the warmth and shelter of friends and family. The self-indulgence and vanities of summer fade; we band together for companionship, to share in indulgences and memories. Whether you are blessed with deep pockets and a large family, or gratefully share a tin of tuna with your cat, gathering together to eat, drink and cuddle is the cozy blanket we drape around ourselves to weather a cold, dark world.

“I need to feel you by my side, don’t you know I need you baby?” Exposé “Seasons Change”

Fall invigorates the body, calms the mind, and in some ways promises new beginnings more representatively than the New Year festivities. It’s a time for both renewal and endings; for gleeful energy and solemn contemplation. Fall is the deep breath we take before plunging into new experiences. Don’t mourn fickle summer’s passing – revel in autumn’s glories.

“These precious days I’ll spend with you” Nat King Cole and George Shearing “September Song”

We skipped the spring and went right to summer’s heat, tiptoeing through breaking waves.

But summer is for children and when the autumn came, no lifeguard watched the shore

Even sunshine girls need care in September.

And October slapped our cheeks, cold winter close behind.

Look past the snows. Another spring waits there.

= RT =

Roxanne’s column appears here every Sunday 

Contact us at dbawis@rogers.com

Roxanne Tellier has been singing since she was 10 months old … no, really. Not like she’s telling anyone else how to live their lives, because she’s not judgmental, and most 10 month olds need a little more time to figure out how to hold a microphone. After years of doing things she didn’t want to do, she’s found herself working with a bunch of crazy people who are as batshit crazy and devoted to music as she is, and so she can be found every Monday at Cherry Cola’s, completely unable to think of anything funny to say, as the co-host of Bob Segarini’s The Bobcast. Come and mock her. She’s good with that. And she laughs. A lot. But not at you.