Leaves have begun piling up where my front porch meets the drive way and tailgate season is in full swing. This can mean many things, one of which is the changing of the seasons. I love every season just about as equally as the other with a bit of a preference towards Fall, which in Texas goes straight through December and then turns to Winter for about a month. As much as I love each season, I especially love the grey period when the weather is changing and you know a new season is on the way. This is happening right now and this post is my greeting to the new season. Plus I feel like if I write about it, it will come even faster.
The leaves are starting to change and beginning to fall. Although we are still getting our fair share of upper 90 degree weather, the mornings and evenings are beginning to cool down and golf is becoming an option again. We finally got some rain, which was a welcomed sight. There are a few things that I like to do during this time to get ready for the months to come.
1. A coozie has been placed in the back pockets of my khakis and jeans as well as in the inner pocket of all my blazers and suit jackets. This is to ensure that I always have a jacket for my beverage at all tailgates, formal events, social gatherings and really just anytime I'm having a beverage. For those of you who are thinking, "this is ridiculous", well let me enlighten you; coozies are just a part of my culture. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it's because I'm a frat-star or a prepneck or a southern college student who feels the need to have a coozie on his person at all times because that's just what we do. If you know me, you just know these things. If your looking for a utilitarian excuse, I just don't like holding a frosted cold can or bottle in my hand when its 50 degrees outside.
2. Create a playlist to listen to in the truck. I personally like music that goes with the season. Some examples of music would be your more slow, somber country songs with lots of violin, of course stuff like Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show and other bluegrass tunes are a perfect fit for colder seasons. You can never go wrong with some of Dave Matthews' slower stuff. Now, I'm not saying this is the only stuff I'll listen to, but I like to have a "go-to" colder weather playlist to cruise around to.
3. Food and beverage are a key aspect of the seasons, much like fashion, they change with the weather. The best example of this is this restaurant we are dinning at in NY for Thanksgiving http://www.parkavenyc.com/. They change the entire restaurant four times a year to match the season. Pretty sweet. Anyways, I've got the bar stocked with plenty of bourbons and scotches. I cut out most of the seafood and start munchin down red meat and poultry, potatoes, and root vegetables. Fall and Winter are my favorite times to cook. Fire up those ovens and deep fryers and clear out all last seasons game to make room for this years kill. You'll be seeing more on this later on.
4. One of the absolute best things about Fall and Winter is the cold weather. There is just something about that grey skied, visible breath morning that makes you want to toss on some khakis with a button down and sweater and dust off the L.L. Bean duck boots. I love to watch the progression of outfits on campus turn from fishing shirts, seer-sucker, polos, and top-siders to khakis, fleeces, wranglers and boots. Like I mentioned before I do live in Texas, and unlike the rest of the southern states, we don't get the cold weather as early. Unfortunately we are too far west and have to wait on that northeast cold to reach us. But once it gets here it is well welcomed. I've been staring at my duck boots and Baylor sweater vest for weeks and I'm ready for the morning when it is cold enough to sport them for a tailgate.
5. Have a lot of fire starters on hand. Everything about fire is Fall and Winter. And I'm not just talking about a backyard gathering around the fire-pit. I'm talking about everything good that fire provides. The Homecoming bon-fire (Baylor has one of the oldest homecomings in the country, it's a pretty big deal), the random gatherings in the backyard on a Wednesday night just because, the morning warmth when you get back from the deer blind that you've been freezing your ass off in all morning, the fuel to light up my cigar on the back porch on Christmas morning or the many other occasions I chose to celebrate living the good life, and I'm not afraid to admit that I do have a candle in my room, a Woodwick that is definitely a Fall scent. The bottom line is, fire.
These are just some of things I like to do in preparation for the new season. If you know me then you know all the things that I like to actually do during this time of year. For those of you who don't, I would think it'd be apparent from my writing that I like to hunt, tailgate, smoke cigars, drink bourbon and partake in much of the other Fall debauchery that fits my demographic. And for those of you who care to hear about any of that stuff, most of my blog will be comprised of all of the sort in the months to come. My hope is that once this post is published, the 90 degree days will end, the grey skies with roll in, and maybe by homecoming I'll be able to wear something with long sleeves.
Happy Fall to all. Don't mourn the Summer. Embrace the cold and grey.
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