I have what I think might be an alarming and confusing message for you all. It is not fall yet.
It is not fall.
So just take your hand off the pumpkin spice latte and BACK AWAY.
That's right. Keep going. Back to your lemonade.
Honestly. Why are we all such dingbats about this? We dream of summer, long for summer, write poems about summer but once it's here we wish it away. By August we're idiotically thinking think You Know What? I really like flannel. I want to put on my damn flannel. Why, WHY, WHY summer, are you holding my flannel hostage. Then around the middle of August people snap and start lighting apple pie candles and wrapping themselves in sheepskin rugs while wearing flip flips.
If you're still scratching mosquito bites it's too early to light a pumpkin spice candle.
It's going to come. Actual fall. On September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere as a matter of fact. But that's just a date. Fall might come earlier or it might come later.
I understand pumpkin themed retail displays have muddied the waters a bit and many of us have actually lost our natural, seasonal compass.
So in case you're a bit iffy on when it's actually fall here are some tips.
10 No-Fail Signs It's Fall.
- Tik Tok is filled with shots of people pretending they're happily picking apples even though they just had a huge fight in the car on the way to the orchard and never even thought of picking apples before the invention of social media.
- Costco is sold out of all their Christmas wrapping paper.
- You drop kick the hanging baskets you stopped watering 2 months ago into the garbage.
- You dip into your pajama drawer for the warm ones and they have that drawer smell.
- You stop shaving above the knee. And below the knee. Bully through the week of itchiness then happily revel in skin that feels like a plushie for 6 months.
- You start to forget your neighbours' names again.
- You spend 4 nights in a row Pinning wintery craft things like whimsical cross stitch patterns you'll never actually do because - binge watching season.
- Your hair is staticky and you broke a nail making the bed.
- You realize yet again, you look dorky, not adorable in hats.
- Black nail polish.
O.K. so now that you feel more comfortable in recognizing the season of fall on your own, you can enjoy this last long weekend of the summer.
Enjoy it, do something summery, eat a hamburger, skateboard on a boardwalk, get sprayed by a skunk.
Just back away from the pumpkin spiced latte.
Have a good last long weekend of the summer.
Well said Karen even if Target has started putting up Christmas lay-away!
Thank you Karen! Now if you could just convince the marketing world.
I live for summer and deeply resent any references to autumn before September 1st, at an absolute minimum. Hallowe’en should not be spoken of before October 1st, and there should be absolutely NO mention of that thing that happens in late December until AFTER Remembrance Day.
Why do we wish away our days like this? Summer is glorious and all too brief in this northern country. Once it’s passed we’ve got a long three seasons of cool, cold, and colder weather to get through before summer returns in all its splendour.
Let’s savour every moment of summer, drink the iced beverages, read the summer romances, eat the summer fruit and salads and gelato. We’ll all be back in our fleece and flannels, sipping hot cocoa, reading murder mysteries and scarfing comfort carbs soon enough. (Okay, maybe colder weather has its upsides, but not before September 22nd, please.)
I'm not quite 100% strict as that, but this summer is over thing really is just a mindset. Especially here, in my area of the country, along with the rest of it I'm sure, we are losing spring & fall. Summer temperatures are lasting much longer into the season than before. ~ karen!
I tried to embrace it and had a pumpkin spice chai thing yesterday. Iced.
Didn't work, it was Too Hot (and the drink was Too Sweet). As much as I'm ready for cooler weather, it'll be another month or two at least, where I live.
Pumpkin spice just doesn't go with the heat. Nobody yearns for a cold glass of lemonade after coming in from the middle of a snow storm. ~ karen!
I don't want summer to end.i always feel sad when fall does get here
It's that awful back to school feeling. ~ karen!
Late September, early October is my Fall start. Sometimes I even wait until (gasp) Halloween Week. Marketing people hate me.
Excellent. You're in charge of retail marketing for the world starting today. ~ karen!
Gosh, today's post was uplifting and real. So fun, thanks!
Thank YOU Mary. ~ karen!
I just can't until October 1 and I just can't bear xmas until Dec 1. I'm no fun lol
100% agree with everything in this post! Complain about the humidity for another month - this is the way. ;)
I love the humidity but hate it combined with the blinding heat of the sun. ~ karen!
Karen, I am a troll. I read every single thing you write and just love your sense of humor but never comment. Thank you for this and all of the other wonderful articles, videos, and puzzles you create. Agree, Love summer! Turn off the air conditioning and sweat like a pig while you still can! All the best, Heidi
This must have really resonated with you if of all the posts I've written - this is the one you chose to comment on. I would have agreed with you had my air conditioning not broken 2 days ago. Sleep sweating sucks, lol. ~ karen!
Thank you ,Karen, for your reply. I will try not to be such a Troll moving forward!
I HATE PSL! There. Said it. All the stores have shelves and shelves devoted to it. Another olfactory assault of mostly chemical imitation. Ugh. Any minute now there'll be the horror of cinnamon pine cones too, and I will be so grateful for my covid mask.
My most recent crisis of seasonality occurred during a July trip to Ikea when I spotted Halloween decor. Ikea. Halloween. July. Another clue the world no longer makes sense.
I bought Pumpkin Spice candy floss sugar. I made one cone and threw it out. It genuinely tasted like chemicals. BUT ... I do love a pumpkin spice latte. ~ karen!
School has been in session here for nearly 3 weeks, and we had some unseasonably (divinely) cool temperatures last week. Some leaves are starting to turn colors. It feels like fall’s front porch. Bring on the PSL!
You're allowed to push it if the weather is cool where you live. So for now I will not shun you. ~ karen!
Love this! I’m a summer girl. It’s not fall till it’s FALL y’all! Cold weather is not for me.
Labor Day weekend and until it does get cold (the water) I’ll be on the lake and river!
Great read Karen!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I couldn’t agree more!!!
Fall is my favorite season but it’s not Fall….Let us enjoy the season we are in Retailers, Influencers and bloggers.
so Amen sister! ❤️☀️🕶️ Enjoy your burger!
I guess I'm going to be the first dissenter then - or maybe not a dissenter, more like an explainer.
This was the first year I felt that "come onnnnnn, fall" feeling, and I don't even like pumpkin-spice-everything. But - this year my brain has switched over into fall early for a couple of big big reasons:
1. I started a new job a couple weeks ago, after a summer of being "funemployed". It was a pretty fast and easy job hunt, and I had enough money to live on for the couple months, so it felt more like I had a summer-vacation kind of break and now it's "back to school" and that means "fall" in my head.
2. June and July were beautiful here in NYC. August was HOT AS DAMN BALLS. I think we wait all year for summer because we remember the fun stuff, but we forget about the 89% humidity and the bugs and the huge electric bills from the air conditioner and the smelly sweaty people on the subway and not knowing what to wear because it's so hot outside but it's so cold INSIDE because everyone has their air conditioner cranked up. So by August, after we've been dealing with the sucky parts of summer some of us are just DONE.
Your dissent is noted. 1. Makes a lot of sense. 2. Speaking of balls, my green hairy ball plants will soon be blooming. I raise a final point - if it's still over 80F outside doesn't the thought of pumpkin spice make you a bit green? ~ karen!
Oh, pumpkin spice was never my jam to begin with anyway. Apple cider is more my thing - it stays more properly seasonal, people don't make a big damn fuss out of it, and you can have it cold. (Hell, I've made a sorbet out of apple cider spiked with some amaretto.)
Hilarious!
Keep it coming Karen & enjoy summer - all of it! August & September at the beach - my favorite time! You have it almost to yourself & it feels like you're extending summer out a wee bit longer. Greetings from Virginia Beach, Virginia ;-)
Oh, no! I got strong-armed by my adult daughter (who just moved back in after graduating college) into buying pumpkin spice latte foaming hand soap! I felt dirty and stupid buying it and your list just explained why! It’s way too early for all this fall garbage! Blasphemy.
PS: she just told me it doesn’t even smell good ;(
You're going to have to sit her down and have the talk about the 4 seasons. ~ karen!
I totally agree - what's the big hurry? I guess I'm one of those who likes something about every season.
It's still 30 C out. I'll light the pumpkin spice when we're in the mid teens. ~ karen!
Death to all things Pumpkin Pie Spiced except for actual pumpkin pie, and I don't even like pumpkin pie. Me? Attending my local Renaissance Faire, of course in costume, on Saturday (Steampunk themed garb) and Sunday (Pirate wear) followed by a BBQ at my son's lake house. Monday, my day of rest and binge watching who knows what, drinking Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi, peacefully at home in the A/C.
That all sounds lovely. Except for the Pepsi part. Whatever 🤷🏼♀️….. enjoy!
Btw, it didn’t happen if there’s no pics so how’s about 1 or 2 of you in SteamPunk costume? 😉
This one is from last year.
That really is great. ~ karen!
Love that! I don’t know which is better…. your cool top hat or pimped up ride 😁. That funky, creepy and fun bird head is brilliant. Have fun this weekend eh?
Cheers from Waterdown in Ontario 👋
Show off. ~ karen!
At last - a blogger who’s making sense - for real! All the other ones I read are talking fall/spice/pumpkins etc. I live in Texas and it is dry as a bone and still hotter than heck🥵…fall will get here in November or maybe the last week of October. Believe me, I am so ready for it, but pumpkin spice will not make it happen sooner!!! 😊…(truth be known, I’m not really fond of pumpkin spice anyway🤣)
I actually really like it. But I don't want to be sick of it before the leaves even change colour. ~ karen!
Thank you for this!!!!!
You are very welcome. Walked right past Starbucks pumpkin spice coffee creamer at the grocery store today. ~ karen!