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BY TOM ANSELM

I think of all the seasons, I love Fall the best.  There is something about the crispness of the air and a luscious  blue sky that stirs my blood.  Even the aroma of the earth, although made up of diminishing leaves and grasses, lends a feeling of rightness to the days.

Gone are the unmerciful afternoons so stifling it was hard to catch your breath. Say goodbye to Mr. Mosquito and sweating just going out to get the mail.  Bid ‘hello’ to harvest moons, pumpkin stands and myriad community festivals.

And then of course there are the sports.  A good argument could be made that football is the new national pastime, in spite of our Cardinals late-season heroics. Our neighborhood has long boasted some of the finest state-champion level prep teams.   A few years back when our youngest was a cheerleader, we were treated to the phenomenon of Friday night high school athletics.

And in years past, there was nothing more electric than a Hazelwood Central versus Mc Cluer North soccer game under the lights at Koch Park.  These days, it’s the joy of observing the grandkids starting their young careers on the fields of North County and Chicago.  This grandpa and grandma enjoy the privilege of attendance, and of ponying up for post-game hot dogs and Skittles at the concession stand, which is really the highlight of the event for the littles.

As for the older set, it is becoming more and more fashionable to take in the wineries which abound in our region.  I’m not a big fan of the grape, but the lovely wife enjoys an occasional Cabernet Savignon.  We are scheduled to make the trek to visit our daughter’s in-laws place near Carbondale, called Von Jacob’s.  And like many such locations, I hear they have beer to complement their many varieties of wines.  So that’s a good thing.   More locally, a ride up the River Road to Grafton just past Alton is also a good destination for true lovers of the fruit of the vine.

And right here in our own backyard, we have the annual tradition of Florissant’s Old Town Fall Festival.  It comes on the weekend of our grandson Johnny’s birthday, so we have lately been able to kiss him and his brother and sister in Chicago, and hustle home in time to do the same to their five counterparts who reside in the Florissant Valley.  Add a steaming bratwurst and a frosty cold one on a late autumn afternoon, and it makes for a perfect day. (the weather looks to be near pefect this weekend)

But maybe the main reason Fall touches me so deeply is that it represents a time of reflection on changes.  The tree sap is dropping, creating those staggering hues of purple and orange.  The mums and daisy’s fight it out for one last bloom before their buds dry at last.   The sun rises progressively later and goes to slumber sooner with each spin of the globe.  There is a palpable calm in the air.

As a guy in recent retirement, these feelings of adjustment are quite sharp, and in keeping with the season.  And just as I hope to revel in this sharpness, so also do I hope to make this next phase of my life worthy of the gifts I have been bestowed.  Like I said, a time of reflection.

So join me in taking a deep breath of this vibrant time, because remember…Old Man Winter will be rearing his ugly head around here soon enough.

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