This Time Of Year

Some of you who live in parts of the country with seasons might think that a tribute to fall is well overdue. Those of you who live in Arizona might still think it's premature. But I had a lovely afternoon *, it's Friday, I'm home early, and I am thus inspired.

Fall is my favorite time of year. Halloween is coming, cooler temperatures are coming, it is a beautiful time to live in Arizona. I have whole playslists of "fall" music and I watch lots of "fall" related things, and ... yeah, I'm a dork. You know this. My favorite "fall" song is truly a song about fall and it's by Better Than Ezra and it's called "This Time Of Year."



There's a feeling in the air
Just like a Friday afternoon
You can go there if you want
But it fades too soon

So go on, let it be
There's a feeling coming over me
Seems like it's always understood
This time of year

There's a football in the air
Across a leaf-blown field
There's the first car on the road
And the girl you steal

So go on, let it be
There's a feeling coming over me
Seems like it's always udnerstood
This time of year

I know there's a reason to change
I know there's a time for us
You think about the good times
And you live with all the bad
You can feel it in the air
Feeling right this time of year

That first line has just always enchanted me. It's so right. What else can I say? I've always loved this song.

When I was a senior in high school, I actually got a chance to meet Better Than Ezra backstage at the Paramount Theater in Denver, on an afternoon before a concert they were playing on a weekend in early October. And they decided to play a couple songs for those of us who got to meet them back there and did just a fun, amazing little acoustic set and ended it with "This Time of Year."

Anyway, before starting the song, they said that they think of it as their "campfire" song, but since they play most of their concerts electrified and highly amplified it doesn't always feel that way when they play it. Then they played a quiet, acoustic, slower and almost sad version of the song that I will never, ever forget. Evereyone was singing along at first, but very quietly, and then louder and louder until it really was like a campfire singalong.

The thing is, I didn't always like fall. In a place like Denver that has seasons, fall means winter is coming and when I was in junior high and igh school and had a bit of depression, winter was the worst. By my senior year, I was beginning to really fall in love with fall. ** But something about the slow, quiet version of the song really hit something in me. I damn near ended up in tears, but didn't feel too foolish because there were people in the room crying. It was an emotional moment like that.

Later that night during their main set, the lead singer told a brief story about playing this song in a sad way and how he felt so awful seeing people feeling sad because of it. And they then proceeded to play a perfect, upbeat, loud version of "This Time of Year." It's a moment that has always satyed with me, and I never fail to think of that day when I hear the song.

So fall is coming. Good movies are coming to theatres. Apple cider is in the stores. Pumpkins and Halloween decorations are everywhere you look. Football is being played. Baseball has finally started the playoffs. It's October. It's fall.

I'm always just a tiny bit sad during fall in Arizona. I miss Colorado autumns. I miss trips to Estes Park to see the aspen changing to a brilliant gold and the elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park. I miss that crisp feeling in the air that we don't really get in Arizona until around Thanksgiving. I miss putting on heavy jackets and gloves to go to the movies and going to football games that start off warm in sunlight and end well after dark when it's chilly so you have to huddle together with a girl for warmth. I miss not wanting to drink apple cider unless it's warmed up.

But those feelings will reach our southern desert climate soon enough. This afternoon, I'm thrilled just knowing it's on its way.



* Our office won a contest this week and was rewarded by being able to watch a movie this afternoon. It was actually quite fun and I laughed a lot and got to leave about 20 minutes early and the afternoon I walked out into was sunny and the sky was blue and it was not too hot. And I was able to drink it in and think, Ah, the weekend.

** ba-dum-bum!

PS. When I first published this blog one of the books that showed up "from my library" on the side of the page was Stewart O'Nan's "The Night Country," which is a fall/Halloween book that I love and have long intended to write a blog about. I'll try to get to that soon.