I’ve always been a fan of Autumn, but Florida’s version doesn’t hold a candle to what I’ve found here in Logan. Back home, Autumn meant school starting again, pumpkins and skulls and bats being acceptable decor, Halloween, and eventually being able to wear a hoodie. All of those things are of course still true here as well, but in Cache Valley the sweaters have come out of hiding far earlier, as well as hats, gloves, and scarves. Corn mazes have popped up on either side of town, and there seems to be a Harvest Festival or similar event every weekend.
The leaves actually change colors here, with red, orange, and yellow trickling down the slopes of the mountains until suddenly the entire valley was flooded with riotous color. Driving through the Canyon or even just down Old Main Hill on 400E feels like it’s an event, with all the leaves giving their best performance. They’ve started to pile up too, giving Catie and me our first real chance to play in piles of leaves. Snow has begun to peek into existence on the tops of the mountains with much more regularity, and I hear that soon it too will follow the example the leaves have set, sneaking down to my doorstep. Just today the first flakes fell, but melted before they hit the ground.
Fall just feels more genuine when the weather is actually turning colder. I keep finding myself with a big goofy grin on my face when walking around outside, even as I pull my scarf up over my nose to keep it warm. Being able to put a nice sweater on and kick through a pile of bright yellow, orange, and red leaves just feels RIGHT. This is Autumn like I’ve never known it, and I couldn’t be happier to be here for it. Here’s hoping I can keep up a healthy dose of “outside time” as the schoolwork continues to ramp up and the temperature continues to drop.
Emmett A. Speed 