Absence of Fall

So, I'm missing Autumn.  

Until just recently, there's been no obvious change in the season.  Some leaves are falling, but because of the consistent warm temperatures and lack of moisture, they do so without the amazing transformation I so love. Remember your science lesson about chlorophyll?  

By all rights, it isn't really October here.  In no way does it even remotely look October-ish.  And this, you see, has created some challenges... mostly for my mental calendar.  I nearly forgot my mother-in-law's birthday on October 5.  There were plenty of distractions... there always are... that is, after all, why I must keep my face in the calendar.  But this forgetfulness was propelled by something else, or... the lack of something else.  And I'm afraid, you see, that Thanksgiving and then Christmas, and so on, will sneak up on me in the same way (I can no longer excuse it as poor planning, although this remains an issue!).  

Here's a question:  Is it possible that no obvious change in the season may actually make a year seem longer... yes?  I think not.  Non the less, I'm told with time I will be able to distinguish a shift in the seasons.  For now, it's still summer... in October.  I'm betting this won't bother me so much in the middle of winter. 

I find myself playing games in which I attempt to fool my little mind... autumn (as I knew it) captured as a figment of my imagination.  For example, at the market I am drawn to bouquets sold with sprigs of colorful leaves (and just where did they come from?).  I bought a princess pumpkin and companion for our hearth, and I have pumpkin scented candles on the counter in the kitchen.  The recent shift of weather, however small it may seem, also helps me pretend. Occasionally, coastal fog brings cool, moist temperatures and casts a grey hew over the horizon. I like this.  Santa Ana winds arrived for the first time last week, and while their gusts reminded me of a powerful Midwest winter storm, the blowing leaves and cool temperatures created a familiar sense and smell of fall.   My favorite time of day - hands down, and perhaps the best trip for my mind, is evening, as the temperature drops, when the shadows darken the desert, and the moon casts an October-ish glow.  This coupled with my favorite sweatshirt, and... I have Autumn!!  O.K.  So, the weather is changing, be it ever so less than obvious.  

Now, here's the dichotomy... isn't it funny that I now want a change?!  We humans are so very fickle.  Relinquishing my interpretation of the seasons is like an old habit dying hard.  No, I do not miss raking leaves.  But I would love a jump in the pile!!