My Favorite Things: Falling for Autumn

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for a little over four years now, and for those of you that have yet to experience our (lack of) seasons – there are really only two to be concerned with. We have “Summer“, which lasts from about March to the beginning of October, and we have “Not Summer” from mid-October through the end of February. My friends and I have also come to the conclusion that the weather in Los Angeles is taking some heavy meds – in the past, we would go for half the summer with awkward drizzle and clouds, then while the rest of the country was undergoing their Fall transformation – leaves changing color, air becoming brisk – we got a heavy dose of 100+ sunshine. It’s like the weather was making up for lost time; and we, the people, are forced to endure it’s bipolar tendencies.

On the other hand, if you look at one 24 hour period in Los Angeles – we actually manage to go through all of the seasons in one day! In the mornings lately, it’s been a tad Winter-ey: brisk, cold, overcast and drizzly but by mid morning the clouds in the sky are few and far between, birds are chirping and it feels like Spring. Over the next few hours, the delightful warmth turns into blistering Summer heat – reaching well into the 90s, and by dinnertime while the sun is setting over the Pacific, the temperature drops and a pleasant breeze flutters by carrying the few turned leaves, and it actually feels like Fall.

Autumn, Fall – whatever you want to call it, it simply makes me happy. Back in the Bay Area where I was raised, it was an actual season instead of a hypothetical situation. It would get blistery cold and a tad rainy; my remedy was to drink lots of peppermint tea and sit firmly on top of the furnace vent with a blanket to trap in the warm air. In LA, there typically isn’t a noticeable shift from Summer to Fall; Summer wanes and Winter promptly takes its place; this year though – there’s a crispness about the air that’s just enthralling, the cloud porn is fantastic and sunsets burn so beautifully. Now, don’t get me wrong – I loved those summer nights; it was warm until 2am and I could wear a tank top, shorts and flip flops day in and day out. But now that Fall has fallen we get to bundle up, curl up and wrap ourselves in warmth, comfort and cute boots. I couldn’t be more excited!