The Change of the Seasons

Ah, autumn. It’s lurking just around the corner, and I can’t wait. I’m done with summer’s heat. I’m an autumn girl all the way around. Maybe it’s because I was born in autumn, but I love how it’s not too cold and not too hot. I love how the trees change. I love curling up with a mug of cocoa and a good book under a blanket.

Doesn’t it always seem like it just arrives overnight? One day it’s 95 degrees, and then, the next, it’s 70 and all the trees have gone up in brilliant golds and reds.

(I was speaking figuratively, but between when I started this on Sunday and today, the temperature really has plummeted into the mid-60s. Go figure. I am wearing pants and sleeves for the first time in forever.)

Seasons are interesting. No wonder our ancestors thought they were controlled by gods. Even in today’s society, it’s hard to truly comprehend that the seasons come about because of the axis of Earth’s tilt. (“Let’s see, we’re going into fall here, so we must be tilting further away from the sun…”) I’m sure some people never think about them at all.

(If you want to see what might happen if the seasons stopped altogether, you might check out the Seasons Eternal anthology.)

You know, some belief systems assign an archangel to each season–Raphael is spring, Uriel is summer, Michael is fall, and Gabriel is winter–though I’m not sure what each one is supposed to be doing with his particular season. Actually, and somewhat off topic, each archangel was assigned an element in the Middles Ages, and they kind of line up. (Raphael is air, Uriel is earth, Michael is fire, and Gabriel is water.) I’m not actually sure what the people in the Middle Ages thought each angel was doing with his element either. It’s probably some mixture of trying to fit traditional local beliefs into Christianity and ANYWAY.

*cough*

Are you happy to see summer go? Which is your favorite season?

And if you need me, I shall be over here with some cocoa and a good book.