Beautiful, burnt-orange leaves crackle beneath me as I walk towards a woman wearing faded jeans with a sewn-in paisley patch on her thigh and a T-shirt reading “Love Life.” In her hands she holds two flimsy sticks of copper (what she calls dousing rods), and she has just halted her ostensibly aimless wanderings through an old park trail. As I approach, smiling, my aunt beckons me over with a nod of her head and, with a stage whisper, announces, “I got one!” She then begins to speak, in everyday parlance, with a ghost.
We are celebrating Fall Appreciation Day, one of my favorite days of the year. The holiday was invented by my rather eccentric Aunt Karen in order to, as the name suggests, enjoy and reflect on the beauties of autumn. Each year growing up, during the second week of October, we would embark on an exploration of an allegedly haunted location in my hometown, armed only with pumpkin spice lattes, a library copy of “Haunted Ohio” and a bag of candy corn. Whether or not we came face to face with Casper, I was always content riding home in the passenger seat of Aunt Karen’s car, discussing pumpkin seeds while the theme song of “Psycho” quietly played.
This week’s column goes out to autumn, the world’s most underrated season. As we emerge from week 3 of the quarter, mostly intact, take some time to be grateful for fall and maybe have an Appreciation Day of your own (though, without an aunt who describes herself as “krazy with a k,” yours might fall short of the original). The following are fall essentials I’m making sure to appreciate this week.
1. Fall-flavored stuff. By far my favorite part of the season is the result of coffee companies’ efforts to make autumn more profitable. Einstein Bros. Bagels’ “Autumn Roast,” Dunkin’ Donuts’ “Pumpkin Coffee,” and of course, Starbucks’ “Pumpkin Spice Latte” are all delicious (by my taste test standards), and right now Norbucks, always vying for my heart, is offering the Pumpkin Spice Latte and a pumpkin loaf in a deal for $5.65. What could be better?
2. Sweater weather. As a Midwesterner, I always found fall weather liberating. It’s a remarkable sensation to be able to walk out of the house wearing jeans and a light sweater, backpack resting comfortably on your shoulders, unhindered by a 50-pound North Face. Which leads me to my next point…
3. Fall fashion. Scarves, plaid, boots. Oh, how I love the clothing of autumn. Personally, I try to stick with orange, maroon and chestnut as my primary color palate, but that’s just me.
4. Apple picking and pie. If you really want to do Fall Appreciation Day justice, celebrate the season with corn mazes, hot cider and freshly picked apples! Zeiglar’s Orchard in Grayslake, Ill. is less than an hour away. Or hop on the El for the Bucktown Apple Pie Contest. With a tagline reading, “You are the apple of my pie,” this baking competition allows the best chefs in Chicago to show off their skills and then allows the general public to taste the product of their labor. Head to this trendy neighborhood downtown on Oct. 16 from 2-5 p.m. and eat up – just make sure to reassure your mom that her pie will always be number one .
5. Pumpkin Carving. In case you don’t have time to travel to a rural pumpkin patch, there are various groups on campus that organize pumpkin carving competitions, and they’re sold at Whole Foods all season. A slimy post-pumpkin carving hand is the emblem of a Fall Appreciation Day well-spent.
Maeve Wall is a Weinberg junior.
She can be reached at [email protected]
