Indian Summer

In the USA, within certain parts of the “south” there comes a time of year called “Indian Summer”, but other parts of the USA also use the term as well. A delightful period of weather change which normally brings relief from the blast-furnace temperatures of the summer months and introduces the coming Fall, sometimes with a hint of Winter “thrown in” as a preview of “coming attractions”. The chameleon leaves customarily change to vivid, wondrous shades of color - an artists’ shotgun blast of brilliant hues scattered across wide expanses of landscapes. It’s a fare-thee-well salute to the passing of summer, and a heralding announcement of the ensuing plethora of what will eventually become a flood of dead leaves. During this period the sunrises are magnificent in their luminescing intensity and warming rays, and the sunsets compliment them with nearly exacting copies of themselves. Warmer clothing begins to appear on the populace in the early evening hours, when visible breaths become evident in the waning light of sunsets. Horse-drawn “hayride wagons” appear in the more rural areas, giving birth to the seasons’ joys. The period lasts for only a few short weeks, just to set the stage for Homecoming Parades, some football games, and the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a spiritually uplifting time for most, a welcomed respite for having made it through another year from last Thanksgiving. It may be my favorite time of the entire year … hope it is for you, too.