Dakota Beacon

Finally -- it’s autumn. It’s officially, deliciously autumn. Three cheers for the season! This is my time of year.

I have an ongoing love affair with autumn. Why do I love Thee? Let me count the ways. (Least of all reasons – the mosquitos are dead!)

I prefer the cooler season to hot summer. I especially love the outdoors on slightly warm, sunny mornings listening to the transition from late summer to early autumn. Insects chirping and whining in the fields, geese honking overhead, dry grass and falling leaves rustling each in its own way contribute to Nature’s symphony. Vivaldi could not improve on autumn’s symphony.

Autumn is a gastronomic delight. Fresh garden produce has been available all summer, but autumn is the crowning glory of the growing season. Our land of plenty produces an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Something very special touches the heart (and the stomach) when serving up home grown produce fresh from branch and vine. Apples, berries, and wild fruit mature with the season.

Then there is zucchini!! Everywhere you look you see zucchini. Unnamed parties leave bags of the stuff in church foyers hoping some needy person will quietly take it. A rule of gardening -- never give zucchini plants to a novice gardener. It’s risky business. Because zucchini grows so doggone easily, the rookie does not know what to do with the overflow.

Just before the first freeze all tomatoes are picked. The green ones go into preserves and green tomato pie.

Autumn time is football time although the virus pandemic disrupted the high school, college, and professional schedules. I never played football. I did become a fan of the Washington Redskins, however, when I lived in Northern Virginia. Now, I just appreciate watching teams compete without embracing a favorite. Admiration of athletic excellence captivates me when observing the physical prowess of players and their coordinated plays. What a pleasure to watch the best of the best, the crème de la crème, competing in the arena.

At least I used to. In the last few years I have backed away from TV football and other sports. When disrespecting the US Flag, the National Anthem, and America itself became part of the venue that was enough. If I wanted to watch “social justice” commercials and Black Lives Matter accolades, I would watch CNN. I watch sports for entertainment and relaxation – not to be propagandized.

Autumn is the time when the Boys of Summer scramble to see who is best. First come the baseball playoffs, then the World Series when the matter is settled for another year. As with football, I was never much of a baseball player either. Observer, yes – player, no. And, as with football, I don’t necessarily support a favorite team. I just enjoy watching the best team win. However, as with football, I turn my back on baseball when players disrespect our nation’s symbols as part of their scene.

Autumn is a time of expectation, of anticipation. It portends a cascade of holidays. Labor Day then Columbus Day commemorating that most famous Italian in American history.

Halloween arrives, that wannabe national holiday commemorating who-knows-what. Trick-or-Treat with its October surprises offers an appropriate preface to Election Day.

Veterans Day salutes our veterans as time solemnly marches on to Thanksgiving Day. Ol’ Turkey Day has morphed into something between a religious event, a family reunion, and a progressive social cause.

Any way you slice it, it’s time to celebrate. Excitement mounts as the days point toward the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the beginning of a New Year.

Weeks ago the late summer days melded into cooler nights. Labor Day really did signal the prelude to autumn and the coming change of seasons. Kids returned to school such as it was during the virus pandemic. The humming and the buzzing of unseen creatures in brown fields on warm days announced the coming change.

I have this ongoing love affair with autumn filled with special memories of good times and hope for the future. Finally. Magnificent autumn is here in all its glory.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).