On the last day of summer, Julia Morgan and Pilar Cragan strolled through Washington Park, talking about the advent of autumn and the change of seasons.
“Pilar already got something in the mail from Radio City Music Hall about their Christmas show,” Morgan said Wednesday morning.
The autumnal equinox, the official signal of the beginning of fall, occurred at 9:13 p.m. Wednesday.
The weather Wednesday morning was a pleasant 74 degrees, and signs of fall were abundant. Fat green acorns littered park paths. Migrating geese stopped traffic as they crossed streets near the park. Squirrels were digging holes in lawns to stash their winter meals.
Morgan, a native Coloradan, savored her memories of the passing season: “This has been an exceptionally beautiful summer.”
Over at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft store on South Colorado Boulevard, fall is already past tense, with autumn merchandise being pushed off the floor at half-price to make way for Christmas wreaths and cinnamon-scented pine cones.
Lettie Blanchard-White of Littleton took no notice of the seasonal displays, intent on buying a package of elastic for clothing repair. For her, the signal of fall is “starting to clean up the garden and saying goodbye to the flowers.”
She anticipates the crispness of autumn air and “the joy of knowing a new season is coming.”
Some people hate summer heat, others hate winter cold. But change, she said, is the nature of life.
“You can’t skip a season, just like you can’t skip a season in your life,” she said. “There’s always a sense of something coming and going.”
