Autumn is Coming! 2016 Edition

32 More Days Until Autumn!

Fall starts September 22, 2016.  Looking west along the Chicago River in Chicago's North Park neighborhood.

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Autumn is really not that far away...  32 more days! Autumn greets us (or we greet Autumn) on September 22 at 9:21 a.m. Central Daylight Time, this year, 2016.  That's 10:21 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 7:21 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and 14:21 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time).  

After a long stretch of humid, 85+ degree days here in August, Autumn (or Fall), with beautiful bright days and cool nights, is very welcome!    

Just in case you can't quite remember the science of the Autumnal Equinox, which is the time when the sun appears to cross the equator and the days and night are of equal length, here's a primer from Wikipedia:

The September equinox (or Southward equinox) is the moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward. Due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year, the September equinox can occur at any time from the 21st to the 24th day of September. 

At the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. Before the Southward equinox, the sun rises and sets more and more to the north, and afterwards, it rises and sets more and more to the south. In the Northern Hemisphere the September equinox is known as the autumnal equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere it is known as the vernal or spring equinox.

And just in case you forgot that the tilt of the Earth is responsible for the seasons, here's a good link that explains that whole thing.

So.. what do we have to look forward to this Autumn?

September

To me, September has always meant the start of school even though most kids start school before Labor Day in the US now.  I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart.  Tomatoes and zinnias are bountiful in early September, and it's time to get the last barbecue of summer fired up.  In our family, we celebrate many September birthdays.

Labor Day is late this year, 2016, on Monday, September 5th!  By the end of the month, the nights are cooler, and the leaves are starting to change colors.  Chrysanthemums and asters (Michaelmas daisies) are in bloom, and we celebrate a few more family birthdays.  Farmer's Markets are overflowing.  And another football season begins.

October

October is full of beauty, golden and red colors, gourds, squashes, especially pumpkins, haystacks and hayrides, and the last apples straight from the orchards.  In our family, another birthday or two.. and, this year, a big wedding!

Then we move on to witches, ghosts, goblins and Halloween.. and the end of Daylight Savings Time as we plunge into those longer, dark nights.  Halloween is on a Monday this year.. Not a great day for Halloween, but that's just the way it is.  Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning, November 6th, 2016.  "Fall behind" and enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

November

November brings Thanksgiving in the United States (November 24 this year, 2016) and the start of the Christmas holiday season.  As a kid, November always seemed just cold and grey, but now that I'm older, I really appreciate the peaceful quality of November.  The gardening is done; the craziness of the Christmas season hasn't yet started, and those empty branches against the deep blue of an early sunset are always stunning.  Then we usually have a few magical sparkling snowflakes sometime in November.

Apple Cobbler, Soups, Stews, and Meatloaf

I absolutely refuse to turn on the oven when the air conditioning is running, so Autumn means a return to baking, casseroles, breads, soups and stews.  I always promise myself that I will try more new recipes than I actually do, but I'm definitely going to make that wonderful apple cobbler with home-whipped whipped cream that I made almost every year when my son was little.. if I can find the recipe.  And there will definitely be meatloaves and lasagna.  Definitely! 

The Countdown Starts!

So let's start counting down those days until Autumn....  32 days until Autumn today.  (It's Sunday, August 21st, 2016.)  Every week will be a little cooler, a little more pleasant than the hot weeks we've had recently.  It will be nice not to have to water as often.  And we've all started to notice how early sunset comes these days.  I'll miss the long evenings, but it will be great to have lower air conditioning bills starting in mid-September.

We're welcoming Fall with Autumn Bracelets (Updated for Autumn 2017)

Fall is certainly in the air over here; the trees are decorating the skies with their red and gold autumn finery, even though the temperature in the day has still been in the 70's.

We've gone from summer sun and heat to the coolness of the autumn.. seemingly overnight. I just hope we'll get enough sun and warmth to ripen the rest of the tomatoes still on the vines.

Celebrate autumn with a beautiful new bracelet in classic autumn colors, or choose something unique and different: So many colors, so many motifs to choose from!

Note:  This was first written in Autumn 2011. Unfortunately, none of the beautiful bracelets featured here are still available, but the sites at which I found the bracelets, Beach Glass Memories at Etsy and Novica, the National Geographic's Artisan shop, are still open for business. 

Etsy is always a favorite. Just look at this beautiful bracelet and earrings combo fromBeachGlassMemories at Etsy. They're made primarily of autumn amber beach glass. leaf charms, and beads on a gold plated bracelet. Classic and versatile. Details and purchasing information HERE.

Here's another from BeachGlassMemories at Etsy. Sea glass in sea foam colors and autumn amber glass beads decorate this one-of-a-kind bracelet. Sea glass and that beautiful amber color always make me feel as though I am standing on a beach on one of those last warm Indian summer days with the wind whipping at my face. More details and purchasing information HERE.

Remember that Etsy features handmade, one-off articles, and any article featured here may be sold.. If you really love a piece, you'll need to link over to BeachGlassMemories or any other favorite Etsy store pronto! However, even if a particular item is sold out, the artisan may have other similar pieces or may make a piece to your specifications.

Another favorite autumn bracelet from Novica in pearls and peridot:

Novica is the National Geographic's artisan's shop, featuring hand-crafted gifts from some of the finest artisans.

On this bracelet, "Precious Fruit", designed by Anusara from Thailand, pears, plums, grapes, and other fruits in colorful autumn glory are recreated from a mix of golden pearls, orange chalcedony, smoky quartz, peridot, and transclucent beads. The stones and beads are knotted on a golden silk cord. Check out the detail below and the bracelet as worn below that. More detail and purchasing information HERE.

Is it any wonder why I love Autumn?