Changing Seasons

Autumn in NJ

Frankie Valli? Antonio Vivaldi? The autumnal equinox? Each of these bring to mind The Four Seasons. Here in the Northeast, the mornings are noticeably crisper. The humidity of summer is gone, except for the occasional heat wave. The nighttime sky sparkles with countless stars. In the early morning hours on some days, it is closer to snow temperatures than to tropical weather. But then the afternoons make one think of San Diego. 

Baseball pennant races heat up, with the playoffs just a couple of weeks away. Football season is well underway, with hockey and basketball waiting in the wings. Tree leaves start to fall and change color. Supermarkets and farm stands begin to display pumpkins. Strange flavors appear, from pumpkin bagels and doughnuts, to pumpkin cheesecake. Although weather can vary greatly in the Northeast, 2011 appeared to be more unusual than most years. A surprise snowstorm on Halloween caused some places to delay celebration of the holiday. Kids were trick-or-treating in snow boots. Last year, many thought that school snow days might be exhausted before the transition into 2012. Because of the snow on wet branches and leaves, power lines went down in many places. We never knew just how cold 49 degrees could be inside our house, being without heat and electricity for five days. Hopefully, the coming weeks and months will be more tranquil.

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Surprise Halloween Snow of 2011