Autumn

Autumn is one of the most wonderful times of the year. The trees are a mosaic of amazing colors, the reds, yellows, and oranges, the air is crisp and fresh, and the aromas of harvest fill the air. It’s one of the things that I enjoy most, Minnesota in the full grip of the fall season. With the abundance of State Parks, forests, and campgrounds, the beauty of fall in Minnesota is easy to capture and enjoy. Whether you decide to hike down one of the many trails throughout the state, or bike along the roads, or even canoe down the lakes and rivers, Minnesota is a nature lover’s paradise.

It’s easy to tell when fall is beginning to take hold in Minnesota. There’ll be a chill morning, the dew almost looking white on the grass but the dew evaporates away the minute the sun peaks above the horizon. Within the next few days, there’ll be a few trees with yellow leaves, very subtle at first, but more pronounced during the setting of the sun. Geese and ducks will be congregating, getting ready to make the long voyage south to warmer weather while all the smaller critters of the land, the squirrels and fox, deer and mice will be working fervently to prepare for the months to come.

One day it all just seems to hit; brilliant colors in the trees, brown grass on the lawns, massive migratory birds flying in their ‘V’ formations; fall is here. The dull roar of combine harvesters and trucks in the distance, reaping the bounty of the year’s crops. September welcomes fall, October embraces it, and November let’s fall run its course as we prepare for the long, cold, snowy Minnesota winters.

The Minnesota fall is the perfect place to feel the full magic of Halloween. An abundance of haunted farms, corn mazes, and other Halloween activities are around every corner, ready to be enjoyed by young and old alike. Pumpkin patches dot the checkered farmland landscape, their bright orange orbs ready to be harvest and carved by those who feel the spirit of Halloween in their hearts.

After Halloween, the march is on toward Thanksgiving. November is marked by the brown leaves, crisp, brittle, and dry, gliding to the ground, leaving the bare trees, branches empty and brown, standing as vanguards for the coming snow storms of December. November is marked by the sight of ice, thin and weak, on the surfaces of the lakes and rivers, the disappearance of animals as they bed down for the winter, and sometimes, the first snow of the season. Smoke rising up from chimneys as the families gather together to feast in celebration of good times, November marks the beginning of the end of my favorite season.

Throughout my life I’ve always loved the fall season and it’s very easy to see why, the magic and abundance of the season plays in my mind the whole year long. Much of my writing is either set specifically in the fall season or there are major parts of the story that take place in the fall. For me, it’s the easiest to write about because fall is the season that I’m most passionate about. Set anything in the fall season, and I can make it come alive off the page far better than something at a different time.

This is different for every writer, each much find their own space to create their magic in. For some, the heat, the green, the white sand beaches, and the party of summer is what activates their imagination and causes them to do their best creating. Others yet may find the promise of rebirth and renew in spring the catalyst that gets them going, or the snow and cold of winter. No matter what season drives you to great inspiration, find out what it is and use it to your best abilities. I often find that I get my best thinking down when I can hear the leaves crunching beneath my feet, the crisp air filling my lungs, the symphony of geese and ducks flying south, and the sight of a candle in a freshly carved pumpkin.

Whatever season invigorates you, enjoy it while it lasts, the next season is always just around the corner. It’s your time to find the best inspirations that will carry you through another year. Even though I currently work as a grain elevator manager, whose busiest time is during the fall when the harvest campaign is on, I plan on spending time in nature, wrapping myself in the season, and writing some amazing stories.

To discover some of the stories that I’ve written and to purchase them, visit my website, Leifericksonwriting.com. Thank you.