I'm a boy of summer, however. I enjoy the long summer days, baseball, fishing, and I really love three-mile walks in the broiling heat, under a radiant sun. I try to savor summer, so that the autumn doesn't seem to arrive too quickly.
I don't dislike autumn. It's just that the dreaded winter follows the falltime. Between loving summer and hating winter, I try to appreciate the autumn.
Here's what I like about the fall: the leaves of deciduous trees changing to brilliant colors; migratory waterfowl winging south; the air feeling crisp and clean; carving pumpkins for Halloween; preparing roasted turkey, with all the trimmings, for Thanksgiving; remembering the wonderful times I shared with my grandfather in the Silver Creek bottomland, hunting ducks; recalling special Saturdays with my dad, polishing and waxing the car, while we listened to the Notre Dame football game; drinking fresh apple cider; rooting for my St. Louis Cardinals to make it to the World Series, which they have done more times than any other team in the National League; eating homemade pork sausage and fixin's at the church's annual wurstmart; cheering on my St. Louis Rams, while consuming a couple of grilled bratwursts and a couple of regional beers; reveling in a few days of unseasonably warm weather during autumn's Indian summer; and smelling pumpkin pie and gingerbread in the oven.
OK, I admit it. I like autumn, even though I wish summer were still here. I hope autumn seems to linger with us for a long time, keeping winter at bay. I'm not looking forward to freezing temperatures, icy roads, coats and gloves.
I do like to play in the snow, though. Now, where did I store that sled last spring?