Autumn, where are you?

Here it is, the end of September and we are having a heat wave. Anyone who knows me, knows I loath the heat or any temperature extremes. Winter and summer are both too intense for my delicate sensibilities and I could live happily with just spring and autumn year round. Maybe a week of snow around Christmas for ambiance and a week of heat in the summer for beach going. Other than that, I could do without the extreme seasons. By the end of August, I feel like a wilted flower and have had more than enough of summer. Once September arrives, I happily looking forward to the cooler days and chilly nights of fall and wait with great anticipation for the changing of the leaves.

Autumn brings even more delights as the cooler days mean I can turn my oven on again! During the dog days of summer, my kitchen seems to go on hiatus with the exception of salad, sandwich and iced tea making. The oven sits idle and even cooking something on top of the stove is avoided for fear of making the house hotter than it already is. Even with the ceiling fan running full tilt, it still seems to be too hot to do anything but open the fridge. In this hot, non cooking state, ice cream suddenly seems to be an acceptable dinner entree!

Eventually though, one does grow weary of the no cook, pick something out of the garden or eat a Popsicle diet. Even ice cream looses it's appeal once you have eaten several gallons of the stuff. I grow weary of cleaning the ice cream maker and I am tired of making a gallon of tea each and every day.

The onset of autumn is a welcome relief because it means fully cooked meals are on the menu again. Things we haven't tasted in months are suddenly appearing on our plates. Meatloaf, stews and casseroles are bubbling away in the oven. Zucchini and bananas are magically transformed into delicious breads and tomatoes are baked up into pies. Beans and other garden delights are canned and put away for later. Hot tea in the tea pot replaces the gallon pitcher in the fridge and ice remains in the freezer for more than a few hours. In the fall, the kitchen seems to suddenly spring back to life!

Cooler autumn nights mean throwing a blanket or quilt on the bed and digging out that nice fuzzy bathrobe that has been in hiding for many months. That chill in the air as you rise in the morning is invigorating. Sleep is much more comfortable and the pugs are content to snuggle up in their doggy beds with their blankets instead of walking around most of the night constantly trying to find a cool spot under the ceiling fan.

As you make your way to the kitchen, you know that first cup of hot coffee or tea is going to taste so good. It is a bit chilly and don't break into a sweat by the walking into the kitchen. Instead of cold cereal, you can actually entertain the thought of cooking something for breakfast. What could be better on a chilly autumn morning than coming down to the kitchen, turning on the oven and baking up a batch of cinnamon rolls or biscuits? The heat from my 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt oven takes the chill off the house and the smell of coffee perking in the percolator and cinnamon rolls baking in the oven permeates the air. It is on these mornings that I know why I moved to the hill and why I love autumn so much. So Autumn, where are you?