Autumn Daydreams

Another whimsical fancy, posted on my blog.

Having a couple of days to do things during the daytime was extravagant. Most people do this every week? How fortunate for them. Usually, my days off are lonely nights while the city sleeps. Flipping my sleep schedule around was refreshing. This five-day weekend had its moments.

I was walking the dog at dawn, surprisingly brisk for Texas. “That nip in the air.” With the sense of smell often comes memory. In this case, an idealized version of a hypothetical future memory—a composite setting of elements from various actual experiences.

Plainly speaking, I was planning a party in my mind.

Out in the country, gathering around a bonfire. Jacket weather. Missouri. Iceboxes full of soda, iced tea, Oktoberfest beer, and pumpkin spice ale. Franks, buns, ketchup, mustard, relish. Marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars for making S’mores. A steaming pot of cinnamon hot apple cider. A tin tub filled with water and apples—for bobbing or just grabbing. Something for everybody. Even a table of pumpkins for carving.

As the evening wears on, as dusk fades into night and the fire dies down, we with our full bellies and rosy cheeks drift inside, our noses sufficiently sniffling from hours in the chill air. Any children present are tucked in for bedtime, and the adults reconvene for a double feature of some unknown, independent horror movies. More laughter ensues.

Yeah. That would be an awesome party. Basically, a fall version of July 4th get-togethers back home. Totally attainable, but for the fact that I live in Texas.

Saturday morning, after waking up from a nap on Juliet’s couch at 4:45 AM and having coffee while inundating my mind with all manner of autumnal imagery on Google Image search, I took the dog for a walk. My mind was thoroughly saturated by all things October.

The dog was happy as usual to get outside, taking the usual route to the park. But I was smitten by wanderlust and decided to take her on a longer journey. I led her down previously unexplored paths, finding rustic foot bridges and quaint machinery, images that belonged on a harvest-themed calendar, all the while daydreaming about this get-together that can never happen.

Eventually, I returned to Juliet’s house but it was not even eight o’clock yet. I dropped the dog off, then went to Starbuck’s and ordered an overpriced pumpkin spice latte, something I haven’t had in a long, long time. I continued to daydream, because there was no harm in it. I indulged. There’s something intangible about fall’s appeal. Something about growing up in the country that exposed me to all sorts of harvest-season Americana, leaving an indelible imprint on my psyche, but it’s so abstract that I can never quite put my finger on it.

All I can say for sure is that enough is never enough. Then again, I am separated from my friends by considerable distance, so we won’t be having this party I described. At least, I won’t be. I guess you can never have it all. I’ll be missing out on a lot of stuff this season, but I can always dream.