Hello fall
Summer is so last season
I’m happy to see the back-end of this beastly summer.
The relentless heat has taken a toll on my mileage and my psyche. It’s been too damn hot to walk and, quite frankly, I’ve been cranky and lethargic, thick in head and limbs.
Enter fall. The days are getting shorter. Its cool, even cold, at night. I love the solid weight of the duvet and a solid night’s sleep too, especially the part where I don’t wake up at three a.m. in a pool of sweat.
But enough about me. I know many of you are reluctant to let summer go. Some of you are even cold-weather haters. I get it.
Just indulge me for a minute while I borrow a page from the fashion rags to show you that summer is out, and fall is in:
Out: Dragging around the neighbourhood for a sluggish 5km in 35 degree heat
In: Hitting the trails for a 15km power walk
Out: Ratty, summer-stinky sandals
In: Sweaters, tights and kick-ass tall boots
Out: Ice cream
In: Halloween candy
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Out: A cacophony of lawnmowers, followed by the whine of leaf blowers
In: Quiet evenings on the front porch with a blanket, a good book and my man playing guitar
Out: Sun-beaten, slug-eaten hostas
In: Rolling carpets of red, gold and yellow leaves
Out: Rhubarb (don’t worry, there’s a healthy stash in the freezer)
In: Beets
Out: Flavourless Pinot Grigio
In: Robust Cabaret Sauvignon
Out: Resisting the urge to join a nudist colony
In: Lots of light layers
Out: Navigating the sidewalk on my walk to work like some sweaty shade-seeking Ninja
In: Arriving at work refreshed after a brisk walk, with a head full of ideas
Out: Greeting neighbours with “Wow, hot eh?”
In: Greeting neighbours with “Wow, cold eh?”
On my walk home tonight I can practically hear the trees sigh with relief. It rained most of the day and the grass is lush and green for the first time since spring. Gardens too. The flowers are glowing, a last hurrah before frost. And my smartphone pedometer tells me it’s shaping up to be a good week: almost 45km so far.
Next week the temperatures drop. Gradually at first: low 20s daytime, around 10 degrees at night. I pray to the walking gods for a whole month just like this. A chance to cool my brain and kindle a slow-burning fire that will carry me though shorter days and dark nights until the first snow, bright, white and crisp, reflects a new world back to us.
