Yes! The signs of fall are here! Many trees are crowned with the jewels of autumn.
The leaves, at the slight whisper or sweeping stroke of the wind, release their hold and tumble, float, and dive, landing on the soil and grass. Once green but now yellow, red, and other hues, the leaves appear playful as the wind has its way with them.
As a child, I would run to catch the falling leaves with my hands uplifted, watching as they glided through the air. I had to be quick to grasp even one as the wind compelled and scattered them like ticker tape in every direction.
Have you ever wondered why we prefer to call this time of the year ‘fall’ instead of ‘autumn’? Is it a matter of saying one syllable (fall) instead of two (au tumn)?
Summer, winter, and spring don’t have interchangeable names.
I rarely hear anyone say ‘autumn’ during the season of turning leaves, hayrides, pumpkins, and Halloween.
Surely, it’s not an Alabama/Auburn or North/South thing.
Although I prefer fall, and the two words are synonymous, there is no reason to leave the question unanswered.
Autumn vs fall, what’s the deal here?
Believe it or not, it’s a matter of formality!
Using the terms’ autumn’ or ‘fall’ has nothing to do with wokeness, DEI, politics, tribalism, or any isms in America.
Autumn is the preferred term in Britain, and fall is the American choice.
The season that follows summer, the season that precedes winter, or the season that’s in between both, is the same: autumn or fall.
There’s nothing to get up in arms about when using either of these two words; both are acceptable, even in writing.
But if you are still uneasy, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In other words, when you are in Great Britain or other countries of the United Kingdom, say autumn.
Autumn originates from the Latin word autumnus, which relates to the harvest and gathering of crops, as well as the end of summer.
Many enjoy the cooler temperatures, the snap, crackle, and pop of the dry leaves beneath our feet, the trees adorned in a rainbow of colors, and all the other aspects of fall.
Before using the name autumn, harvest was the English name for the third season of the year. Harvest is a Germanic word that means to pick, reap, and gather crops before winter.
There are many well-known places to visit and experience the majesty of fall, but you can also look at the foliage in and around your home, and while you drive through the countryside.
I hope you are happy and well.
Enjoy the following poem, Leaves, by Elsie N. Brady.
How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.
At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.