FALL IN JERSEY

Fall In Jersey

 

What comes to mind when you think of fall? Crisp air, cold nights? Colorful leaves? Sweaters, hot chocolate? Surely if you live in the southern portion of the United States, or any other warm place, none of these things would come to mind. But here in Jersey, all of these things happen. Believe it or not, even in August, when it is still hot here in Jersey, there is a change to the air that tells you, fall is right around the corner. September is still warm when the kids head back to school, and the nights get a little cooler, but not until the month of October, is there a significant change. We still have warm days in October, but no more warm nights. The nights are chilly, and sometimes down right cold. The leaves on the trees are just starting to turn color, but sometimes they are not in all of their fall splendor until the month of November. There are many things that come to my mind when I think of fall. Cool crisp days with shades of yellow, orange and crimson red, against a backdrop of the bluest skies ever, cold nights, but then the biggest, brightest, warmest sun during the day. I think of big, orange pumpkins, beautiful chrysanthemums in almost every color imaginable, dried corn stalks, apples, hay rides, apple and pumpkin picking, scare-crows, toasty fires and bonfires, toasting marshmallows and raking leaves.

Many people love to travel in the fall to go leaf peaking. The array of colors on the trees is nothing short of magnificent. Here in Jersey, we have such a variety of trees, that we get the most beautiful of colors. With oaks, maples, sugar maples, pines and everything in between, we can't help but have a spectacular fall show. And with so many trees, there comes the chore of raking up those leaves that finally fall from the branches when it is time for the trees to become dormant. But who says that chores can't be fun too? Most kids still love the idea of someone raking up a big pile of leaves and then allowing them to jump in them! A very fond fall memory from my childhood, is when my dad would rake up a big pile of leaves as he was cleaning up the yard, and then tell us that we could jump in them. I can feel the excitement, hear the laughter, and see my sibling's arms in the air and leaves flying everywhere just as if it were yesterday. The days of our youth provide some of the fondest memories that we will ever have in our lives. 

One of my best childhood fall memories, is of the time that my dad taught us how to make teepees from dried cornstalks. We just thought that this was the coolest thing ever. My father always planted corn in his garden, the silver queen variety to be exact, so we always had left over dried corn stalks. We would gather so many of the stalks, and make those teepees in the field, and we would be able to go inside of them. We even made seats in them out of dirt! So many happy hours of play and imagination in those dried up old corn stalks! Those were the days, when children used their imaginations and played outside a lot, not like children today who sit inside on computer devices. We would be so tired at the end of the day, from all of the hours of running and playing in the fresh air and sunshine. 

I now take my grandchildren to as many outdoor autumn festivities that I can, so that they too, can experience some semblance of fall days gone by. New Jersey is so beautiful in the fall, so if you do not live here, I hope you will make a visit during this most colorful time of year. New Jersey offers so many family friendly outdoor activities, such as apple picking, pumpkin picking, hay rides and the like. You will be so glad you made the trip.