Fall is Here
Fall is here. It is grey, chilly, drippy and the ten day forecast calls for nothing but rain.
My flowers are dying back, my pond is covered with cedar tips, my maples have turned brilliant and leaves are starting to fall.
In the Puget Sound, this is the start six months of gloom and rain. I can’t help but admit: I’m dreading it.
We don’t really have winter here. It doesn’t freeze much here in Poulsbo because of the marine climate influence – maybe a half dozen times a year. It snowed once last year, an inch, and melted within hours. Mostly – the sun is gone behind perpetual cloud cover and will not really make a reappearance until spring.
I am a mild seasonal affective disorder (SAD) sufferer. When it stays so gloomy, or when it’s very dark as in Alaska, my mood tends to deflate. I’m less energetic and optimistic, more sleepy and sedentary. (And it’s hard to get more sedentary than my current work-at-home lifetstyle!)
I have a light box that I break out for winter, and turn on for a half hour first thing in the morning. It doesn’t seem to help my mood and energy level, but it does seem to keep my sleep cycle regulated and make waking up in the mornings a bit easier.
Outside of the anxious beginning of the gloomy season, I love the season. The brilliant autumn colors are my favorites and the scent of fallen leaves and woodsmoke is wonderful. Fall harvest cooking, using apples and squash and creating soups & stews, is always fun.
I guess it’s a balance – appreciating the season for what it is, but not getting too worried about the winter ahead.
Note: photography by Zach. Again. 
October 2nd, 2007
I love this time of year. I just wish it didn’t transition into the next season
. Especially now that we’re in ND – I’m not looking forward to a whole winter spent here.
I’m so jealous that you guys went to Wenatchee to get apples. I loved all the different orchards out there. And the pumpkin patches – so much fun!!
October 3rd, 2007
Tanya, you used to live in Monroe, right? We drove through there – cute town but EXPLODING with new construction and cookie-cutter developments.
Is ND an apple growing region? Seems like it might be w/ hot summers and icy winters…
October 3rd, 2007
Yup, Monroe is where we lived. They had just started a lot of the construction before we left. There are a ton of new businesses going in by the theatre.
ND does not have any orchards that I’m aware of. A lot of people do have apple trees around here though that seem to do well.
October 5th, 2007
I love fall best – I’ve only just realized this. But fall is different here. Definitely more gloomy. I come from brilliant sunshine, crisp colored leave and early season autumn back in Alberta so it’s definitely a change. I had hoped after our dismal summer, we’d get a better fall – time will tell but this past week has been gruesome.
I’m checking into cabin/cottage getaways on the San Juan Islands for next week – do you have any recommendations?
Cheers and happy lamplighting – I have to get me one of those SAD lights. Sad but true.
October 5th, 2007
We stayed at the Inn at Ship Bay on Orcas Island last time we were there. It’s a lovely place, very peaceful.