When you were a kid returning to school each September, was one of your first assignments to write a composition detailing what you did on your summer vacation?
I remember those early autumn days… sitting in a slightly too-warm classroom, when summer refused to end simply because school was in session again.
There we’d sit – all spiffy in our first-day-of-school outfits. Most of them involved a sweater (think sweating!) or possibly some corduroy – not the coolest of fabrics. Actually, it wasn’t cool in any sense of the word, but I won’t get into the angst of peer pressure, at this juncture. 😉
While we sweltered, we had to wrack our brains for a scintillating summation of the preceding couple of months. Our essays would be read aloud eventually, which of course added even more pressure.
Little did we know then that these annoyances would look pretty unimportant in hindsight. Funny how the lens of experience allows one to remember – no cherish! – all of the little details of our youth . . . the kindness of a particular teacher, the sharing of a snack with the student who sat beside you, new notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils with still unused erasers, the freedom to play in the crisp fall air after school was out for the day. All these things and so much more . . .
We’ve had a taste of fall weather here, lately . . .
It always takes me back . . . 😀
Will you share your autumn memories?
Hugs,
Yep, I remember those hot first days back to school. I went to Catholic school and we wore uniforms. Girls couldn’t wear pants back then. That was when the World Series was still played in September too! But I remember just a few weeks later the cooler weather and RAIN would set in.
But, of course you know I love summer and hate to see it go. I had to throw that in.
So, here is a memory I will never forget.
My uncle lived in an area of Michigan City by the lake called Long Beach. I was about …less than 2nd grade. We raked leaves and would jump in the piles. I came running around the house and started screaming my head off. There stood a HUGE…bigger than me…. St. Bernard. Scared the heck out of me. I’ll never forget it and to this day when I think of raking leaves, I remember that day.
Well Sis, you have brought back yet another memory.
xx, Carol
Hey there, Carol 🙂
Great story! Did you ever discover whose dog it was? I can imagine being petrified to suddenly be face to face with a giant dog!
Would love to have known you when we were kids! xoxo
I remember the being so excited for the first day of school. It was the only time I really dressed up for school. After that it was jean and tees or sweatshirts. I still get dressed up for the first day of school and then its back to jeans, or capris.
My favorite thing about fall is Halloween. I love the costumes, decorations, fun, and dog events. Kouga is gearing up for all the fun. He won the beach wear contest a few weeks ago and I’m trying to figure out what he is going to be next week for Strut Your Mutt.
Riding the Harley in the cooler weather is great too. We are going to the Mississippi Start Hog Rally for Harleyween. October 27-29th. It will be the last travel event on our Harley for the year.
Oh Kelly,
Kouga is a fashion plate! You need a little closet for all his outfits! 🙂
I can tell that school is keeping you very busy. Hope you are enjoying it! xoxo
I always loved wearing a new outfit to school. Of course all the stores had their fall clothes out, so the new outfit was something with long sleeves and long pants. Which does not work with Memphis TN heat in August (Which is when school starts around here, no waiting ’til after Labor Day!).
I remember raking leaves but it is not a favorite memory—My house that I lived in from age 12-college had a BUNCH of trees, an all-shady lot, which was nice in the summer but not in the fall. And it was landscaped, too, so no sucking them up with the lawnmower!! (which is what I do now! 🙂 )
I do love fall, the cooler temperatures are certainly appreciated after the brutal heat of the summer.
The smell of burning leaves in the air is what I remember most growing up in the Fall. I raked a lot of leaves as a kid for my customers who I had worked for during the summer months. Large metal bins on wheels seemed to be the way to burn the leaves. The leaves would burn so hot they glowed like molten steel. The heat and smoke of the burning leaves is still so vivid in my mind. Now, the leaves are sucked up at the curbs and made into mulch. And then there was the Trick or Treating for home made treats back in the day. I guess I should fess up to the throwing of the hub cap on the grouchy neighbors porch down the street on Halloween, nicking the front pillar. It made quite a noise, but the old guy caught up with me a couple of days later! Also, being in the HS marching band brings back many memories. We had to march a mile to the football field on those cool Friday evenings while smelling the leaves still burning on our way there. Oh, and those away games on the Lake Shore buses (no school buses for our Marching 100) with our jugs of cider to drink on the way home and hopefully having a girl in the seat with us!
All I can say is “Wow!”, Sir Beads Brother. 😀
What a terrific recounting of your Fall memories!
I loved reading it. xoxo 😉
Wow, did this post bring back a flood of memories!!!
You’re so right about those new school clothes, Crystal. I can vividly remember one first day of high school, (I think it was 10th grade) I missed the school bus home, and had to clunk home in these 70’s platform shoes that must have weighed two pounds each, a new sweater, and stiff jeans, while carrying a bundle of books…in what seemed like 90 degrees (and you know me and anything above 60 just DON’T get along). It was over a two mile walk, and I thought I was going to faint from the heat…and all the while thinking “why am I wearing this STUPID long sleeve sweater!”
….I could just smell those burning leaves Sir Beads Brother wrote about. Heavenly!
Plus, I have a neighbor who could use a good hub cap right about now! hee hee hee!
What a hoot! 😀
xoxo Paulette 🙂
Yay!! It’s Sir Beads’ brother. I remember those days too. When trash and leaves were actually burned in the back, in the alley. Back during the days houses still had alleys. You had to stand guard and watch the fire.
For Halloween we would walk through several neighborhoods knocking on doors and ringing doorbells. We couldn’t wait to return home to empty out our goodies and gobble it down. It was one of the few days during the year we were allowed to stay outside after the street lights came on.
I love fall with all the earthtone colors. And my favorite… brown.