A special day.

With apologies to those in the Southern Hemisphere...





Fall is coming.

My most favourite season on the grid, by far.

Old friends returning, a slight chill in the air, a bluster of digital leaves. Pumpkins in the gardens and candles in the windows.

And with that, it is often a time of renewal, of fun, of that magic that just sorta... creeps up on you, y'know?

I think back about all the times I have logged in, not expecting anything other than a bit of work or whimsy. Only to find that something magical happened instead.

Perhaps a first meeting of someone who would become a stalwart friend, or the spark of a crazy idea that would become a nation, or perhaps... the last meeting of someone who would pass away. Not seeming significant at the time, but later redolent with warmth and memories.

So often, all this happens in the fall.

* * * * *

With that... somehow... there's a sense of renewal, a sort of pregnant pause, a sense that this coming season, too, will have magic sneak up again on quiet cat feet. For many of us.

And I sorta prepare for it, too. I do a lot of silly things ~ I clean up stuff that I had hastily done earlier in the year, best I can... I sort through inventory... and I look at old contacts. Who have I missed?

It's also a time for fall leaves on the ground... many estates do this around this time of year. I try to log in and just listen to the group channel the next day, as people discover the change of season. You can hear the delight, it's just magical... by the next weekend many are dressed in jackets and scarves, with hay bales and corn stalk bundles filling the gardens.

And by no means do I have any monopoly on this; grand estates and tiny mainland parcels alike share in this transformation, one leaf at a time. It's one of those magic things that is, by and large, just about free simply by walking around and taking in the air.

* * * * *

Okay, I've carried on enough... here is the question.

When is this special day, this beginning of Fall?



On my estate it is generally a bit early, usually on or about the autumnal equinox ~ simply because people enjoy the season so much.

If you are one of the many season~enjoying types, when will you begin?

Hmmmm good guestion. Probably soon, but this year I have mostly water property. Not even beach. Out in the water. Not sure how I will bring fall there.

Autumn begins when the shops start selling Christmas stuff. Usually sometime in July.

Although I love the springtime the most, I enjoy fall as well. I actually have already begun looking for fall and halloween decorations for my home.

I get into these "moods" where I want to totally decorate my home and it makes Will groan. I find it is most cost efficient in sl than in sl. LOL. So with fall and the holidays coming, I am free to change my home with decorations to my heart's content and listen to Will breathe a sigh of relief that he won't log in and find different house and furnishings.

I'm kinda getting this coastal Maine vibe from a place like that... could be done!

Thanks for the suggestion

Fall comes to my sim when the leaves start turning in RL. And we start getting frost warnings at night. And the last of the apples are harvested. Nothing speaks of Fall to me more than a warm fresh apple pie, smothered in caramal... that has been baked in the oven in a brown paper bag.

I love Fall

Fall in my part of the world is usually 2 days in late November.

But I love Autumn. It is cooler weather and the fall fashions are always so much nicer than the hot summer months. Men in their boots and jackets, woman in sweaters and fluffy trims. Not really dressed up so still casual but also not as slouchy as the loose summer clothes.

When I get in the fall mood is usually a rainy evening somewhere around Halloween.

I get into the fall spirit in October, around Thanksgiving time.

First day of school. It was a special day when I was a child, full of anticipation (new teacher, seeing old friends again, and, of course, a brand new box of pencil crayons and new dress to show off!) and excitement.

I guess I've spent too much of my life doing school of one sort or another, because the first day after Labour Day still brings all that back to me.

There's no autumn where I live, either (southern part of the Northern hemisphere) except as a theme for store displays.

So, sadly, when I see falling leaves anywhere in SL, the mental association is with Wal-mart, rather than with childhood memories.

For me, it started a few days ago -- when I walked outside in the morning and found a wonderful wind blowing. There's something different about fall winds that, to me at least, has always been noticeable even if I can't identify it tangibly. It's a psychic impression, almost. I even posted on my personal blog that fall had officially arrived, because of the wind.

I don't have enough land to really decorate, but I'm already juggling ideas for a scripted jack-a-lantern I'd like to make and mentally preparing for RL's Samhain. I'd like to organize something small for my handful of tenants, if I can find the time in between RL pursuits. And I'm all re-energized for my job hunt now. I find it impossible to be pessimistic this time of year, no matter how much hard reality tells me I ought to be. Conventional symbolism may tell us this time of year is for endings, but for me, it's always been about new beginnings.

I live for the infamous Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village each year. It is the one time of year that New York City does not take itself so seriously. It would be great for the SL NYC to sponsor such an event.

Autumn is always a time of mixed feelings for me. There are times I really enjoy it; the cooler, less harsh temperatures and weather, the colors of the season, the bounty of the harvest in all the farms around where I live. What's not to love about it?

On occasion, though, I have had ruminations on the fact that I haven't always had someone with whom to share it, and it brings a touch of sadness. The lyrics and melody of a song then come to mind:

The summer sun is fading
As the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near.

The winter winds will be much colder
Now you’re not here.

I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky
And one by one they disappear.

I wish that I was flying with them
Now you’re not here.

Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away.

Through autumns golden gown we used to kick our way
You always loved this time of year.
Those fallen leaves lay undisturbed now

Cause you’re not here.
Cause you’re not here.
Cause you’re not here.

-----

Like the sun through the trees you came to love me.
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away.

A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes.
As if to hide a lonely tear.
My life will be forever autumn

Cause you’re not here.
Cause you’re not here.
Cause you’re not here.

-----

Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away.

Through autumn’s golden gown we used to kick our way

You always loved this time of year
Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now
Cause you’re not here
Cause you’re not here
Cause you’re not here

-- excerpted from Justin Hayward's "Forever Autumn", War of the Worlds

I put out Halloween merchandise yesterday...

Usually about the week of Halloween, depending on the temperature.

Autumn is probably my favourite time of year. The past couple of years I have really gotten into it - making spiced apple cider, apple pies, digging out all my scarves and blankets, hot chocolate, rustling leaves on the ground....

I usually have a couple of phases of autumn...if that doesn't sound strange. Early Autumn - mid September thru Samhain/Halloween is more of a feeling I have. An anticipation. Home seems more cozier, I love sitting watching the rain or standing in the wind - you can almost smell the leaves on the air. It has come extra early this year - we just had a bonfire in our yard, and with the slight chill on the air, and the smell of smoke - I could feel autumn very close. This year I'm hoping it will be extra special.

Then after Samhain I usually feel more like deep autumn/early winter. I snuggle up by the fire when its dark outside, I'll watch the sun set earlier, and get the hot chocolate going. I wear my scarf and gloves when I go shopping and come home rosy cheeked and smiling, no matter how cold I got - kicking through huge piles of leaves.
I'm like a big kid when it comes to autumn and leaves - I'll find the biggest pile and just run through them sending them everywhere. (then usually I have to help rake them back in a pile again from the mess I made while my grandad shouts at me lol).

I guess Autumn always reminds me of home - it reminds me that home is my safe, warm comforting place, and since everyone seems to spend more time together, it makes me appreciate my family more....whether it's walking through the woods or sitting watching a film together while its dark and cold outside, but warm and snuggly inside.
By the time it gets to late november the house constantly smells like apples and cinnamon and hot soups and stews and home baking.

I do enjoy the seasons, and Autumn is the most fun one for me. I get to make Wassail!
Autumn is my idea of happiness!

Laughing...sorry guys..I just have to jump up and say..Yaaay spring!!

It's smelling so nice in the air these days.

Way to bring the party down, man.

We're about to start fall (or Autumn as it is still referred to in the Blessed Isle).

Christmas snows next month! LOL

Inc

Sure it's a bit of a downer, but it's a beautiful song from a fantastic (if a little dated) album. I always wanted a version of the song by itself without the Richard Burton narration in the middle. I'm sure it was released somewhere that way . . .

There is always a touch of sweetness mixed with melancholy at fall. Plants begin going dormant. The days get shorter. But along with it comes a rush of expectancy, like our metabolism starts revving up to gather all our nuts (or whatever) before the long winter. That's how I feel anyway. More energized.

For me fall begins at the equinox when the day and night are exactly the same length, this year on September 22.

Winter is icumen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver,
Damm you; Sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,
So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing goddamm,
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.

(I seem to have a thing for fascist modernist poets today . . . not a good sign! )

Dragon. }:=)

Must be a mammal thing..



For some, their lives as Adult Dragons start then, too.

Oh autumn...the warning of worse to come.

Anything and everything could change at any moment on our island, one never knows. It has always been an improvement, so I don't worry (with the exception of last year's Xmas tree which looked suspiciously like a stack of sombreros).

I'll do my bit as I do for all our holidays. I've already begun collecting new Halloween decorations. What I am really looking forward to is winter in 2L. It is so much drier and more pleasant that in RL.