"Ah, September! You are the doorway to
the season that awakens my soul..."
PEGGY TONEY HORTON
Right on cue with the turning of the calendar page, the weather changed. The pleasant days of warm sunshine and blue skies turned cool with stirring winds, overcast heavens, and rain. And with it, all thoughts of BBQing and being outdoors fled. Instead we searched for recipes that would warm and comfort...and wrapped our fingers around steaming mugs of coffee or tea. This morning, however, dawned bright with sunshine and the blue skies returned. I thought of the ancient sacred text: 'This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it'. Some days when all sorts of pressures bear down, a person has to work harder to be glad for a new day, but this morning brought with it a gift where the joy bubbled easily and without effort. There is something consoling about those kinds of days when the livin' is easier.
I know it's not autumn in many places yet, but it has the feel of it around here. The light slants differently, and the air feels and smells differently too. As one who is eager for Autumn because it's my favourite season, I appreciate the quote by Peggy Horton (above). Perhaps you feel it too—that September is the doorway to the season that awakens your own soul. The hint of cooler mornings and leaves turning golden ignites a frisson of excitement within me—it's undoubtedly rooted in childhood memories of the start of a new school year.
As a girl, I enjoyed heading off to school in my new clothes, armed with sharpened HB pencils, pristine Hilroy exercise scribblers, and a box filled with Laurentien pencil crayons, Peacock Blue and Hollywood Cerise being among my favourite colours. Sometimes I clutched a bouquet of dahlias to give to my new teacher. Although a little nervous those first days, I still vividly recall the thrill I'd feel when I learned which desk, among the neat rows, would be mine. Not to forget the shivery anticipation as the new readers were handed out and the blackboard stood at the ready for writing out spelling words (I loved spelling). There would also be the secret hope that maybe this new year my exercise scribblers would remain tidier and less dog-eared. Maybe it would be the year, too, when math wasn't so scary, and the boy I secretly liked would hand me the large Valentine's card come February.
" To feel creative, I need plenty of white space,
coffee, and good light. "
NICKI FRANKLIN
It's been decades since I headed off to school on a September morning, but my inner clock still tunes itself to it being the proper time to begin a new year. I celebrate the month by shopping for new notebooks and pens and calendars, and I round up those scattered routines and schedules that had been thrown to the wind in July. I once again begin to muse and dream, thinking about my 'new term' of creative work, feeling the exhilarating tug of renewed motivation, energy, and hopefulness.
" September ! I never tire of turning it over and over in my mind.
It has warmth, depth, and colour. It glows like warm amber. "
PATIENCE STRONG
* * *
Wishing you a beautiful September.
Brenda
Top image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life
Bottom image by drromie of pixabay
Oh, I remember so well those first days of school. Like you, I always hoped to keep each notebook so neat and tidy. I think that may have lasted a week or so. It’s good to reminece.
ReplyDeleteFor me, like you I think it lasted a week or so too - the effort to keep my handwriting neat and the pages tidy was such hard work. And when I look at my journal pages nowadays, I see that some things never change. I still scribble and make notes in the margins and cross out words I spelled wrong.... haha. Good to reminisce with you, Ruth.
DeleteLovely memories and supporting quotes. You make me remember, too.
ReplyDeleteI hope they stirred good memories for you.
DeleteLovely quotes. September in southern Florida means the height of hurricane season and the last month of sticky humid weather.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I cannot imagine having to face hurricane season every year. Interesting how we all seem to adapt somehow to the places where we live, even if it means facing some scary stuff. Hope you are well, Penny.
DeleteThank you for the lovely post. I enjoyed your memories. I always love the quotes you share.
ReplyDeleteHappy September!! Carla
So nice you stopped in, Carla. Thanks very much.
DeleteThat last quote itself is turning over and over in my mind, and leading me down rabbit trails to more fallish landscapes, mental and physical. I hope you absorb plenty of glory from the season, and the memories that it calls forth.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gretchen, I do hope to absorb plenty of this season's glory, and I hope you land on some interesting rabbit trails of the fallish kind.
DeleteI wrote about the end of August earlier this week and what is to come so your post warms my cockles. I too remember with fondness those Septembers and the new school term. In particular, as you've mentioned, the scribblers & HB pencils (I actually recommended them on my website not long ago), and the new readers. It's been ages since I've had anyone use that term and it takes me back with such fondness.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post.
Diane, there is something that feels so pleasing to connect with a fellow traveler who walks with similar memories from the same era. I had secretly hoped there would be someone else who remembered using those old phrases - scribblers and readers. I have an especial fond remembrance of my old readers. In fact, I found a copy of one of my gr 2 (I think) readers at a used book sale and found myself suddenly, in my mind's eye, in my old classroom watching myself as a little girl reverently paging through 'On Cherry Street' with its orange cover and the image of an organ grinder, his monkey, and two children playing with it. Such lovely old memories.
DeleteA lovely post that reflects so many shared feelings. This is the first September in awhile that I've not returned to school - most recently as a teacher. I am feeling the urge to sharpen a slew of yellow HB pencils, purchase a new box of pens, and start writing in a new scribbler. This time of year really does have the feel of a new start. There's more energy with cooler temperatures, and boy, have they ever cooled down quickly this year.
ReplyDeleteAs something different, now that we are not tied to the school year, we're taking a little vacation to the Rockies next week. There will likely be much cooler weather, and I'm hoping for those glorious autumn blue skies.
Wishing you a wonderful long weekend, Brenda.
Lorrie, that must feel odd not to be returning to school. But what a time to shift gears into your new season in life. Although I'm not a keen camper, I think you will have a grand time visiting places that you never had a chance to see this lovely time of year. Enjoy!
DeleteI have always loved September. I love the colours and the light. I love the new beginnings. School or not, I don't know. We have preparation for the Writers' Festival and who knows what new projects.It is funny that scribblers and readers are now forgotten words. There are so many of those. Enjoy Labour Day!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you! I do love the colours and the slant of the light this time of year. It was a lovely day here today, but evening shadows come so much earlier now. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
DeleteI love september but it's still 100 degrees plus but promised of 90s soon!
ReplyDeleteLin, I have to chuckle when you mention it's getting cooler at your place - down to the 90s! For us, the 90s are when we're about fainting from the 'heat wave'. Hope your AC is keeping you comfortable until it gets cooler.
DeleteOh, yes, that quote is one of my faves! September is the doorway to October, which is my favorite month of the entire year! I could live in a world of Octobers! Here in Boise, our days are still quite warm, but the mornings have a delightful, crisp chill to them. And I love that it is getting darker earlier now---I am one of those strange birds who enjoys it dark at 6 p.m.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is as beautiful as ever. It is always a joy to visit here!
Blessings,
Patti
So lovely to see you, Patti. I do like when the evenings grow dark sooner - it's cozy - but there was a season years ago when the darkness didn't feel friendly to me. That was when I learned fairy lights and lamps scattered about really helped to chase away the shadows and make things inviting. Thank you for your lovely comment!
DeleteBrenda, I love this post and it is looking and feeling a bit like Autumn here in WV. The peonies and many other garden plants are looking as though they are interested in a nice sleep. And the weather has a bit of a nip to it in the mornings. Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons, with winter a second. I am looking forward to cooler days and making pots of soup.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week, sweet friend.
As the days cool, there really is something appetizing and comforting about pots of hearty soup. Our peony bushes are still vibrant and green but the blossoms, of course, are long spent. We always hope the frosts hold off for a while yet, but around here, one never knows when it will hit. So every day without it becomes a reprieve - that extra gift from nature. Wishing you a beautiful week, Sandra.
DeleteI also agree that September has strong "New Year" vibes--even for adults who aren't returning to school!
ReplyDeleteEven though my house is decked out in fall decor, my tea drinking is still a mix of summer (cold brewed fruit blends) and fall (hot brewed spicy blends).
I think your tea drinking mix of a little summer and a little fall fits September's moods -- there are still hints of summer's last warm breaths now mixed with autumn's cooler days.
DeleteI always looked forward to the new school year too and I'm doing to fun junk journals right now. Love to have something creative to work on every day! Happy September!
ReplyDeleteDiane, I am intrigued by the term 'fun junk journals'. I'll have to google that phrase to learn more. Enjoy!
DeleteAutumn is my favorite season as well. Ours is the flirty kind, spreading little hints of its arrival in the early morning chill, fallen leaves and little flocks of migrating birds. You have to pay attention, it leaves almost as soon as it arrives.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Amalia, I do like your description that your autumn is of 'the flirty kind'.
DeleteThank you for your September wishes, even though it is mid-September as I read them! I enjoyed your musings on September. I, too, relate to the opening quote as well as your perception of September being a new beginning. Ahhhh . . . September.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheryl. It's hard to believe we're on the second half of this lovely month already. The days do fly by.
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