Fall Arrives In Lafayette And Acadiana Today

It's a good thing the first day of Fall is marked on our calendars because we sure couldn't tell by stepping outside.If my math is right we should officially be in the Fall season at 4:05 this morning.  Dave Baker, our friend and meteorologist at KATC does tell us that it will feel less like Summer this weekend but when can we expect it to really get cool enough for gumbo? Some experts in the seed business tell us that we usually get our first frost in Lafayette about November 6th, which is about six weeks away. According to U.S. Climate data the average high temperature in September is 88 degrees, that falls off to 80 degrees for the month of October, so you can see we cool off rather quickly once the Autumnal equinox has arrived.

When I was a kid in north Mississippi one of my favorite fall activities was jumping into huge piles of leaves that my Dad had raked out of our yard. We would then burn the leaves.  I know that's very politically incorrect but I still love the smell of burning leaves on a crisp Autumn night.

Now that I am older and if there is raking to be done it's my job I don't wax so poetically about leaves, although I do enjoy the way they paint the landscape in the fall. I've never taken a fall foliage tour of the New England but I bet it would look something like this.

So here's to Autumn, Fall, cooler weather and cooking gumbo outside. Here's to cool nights on the patio wrapped up in a blanket with a hot chocolate in one hand and your arm around someone you love.

Here's to the cold north winds that carry the scent of fireplaces, apples and cinnamon and the sound of backyard football games into my consciousness.

Here is to quiet time in the deer stand at dawn and the robust sound of laughter at the deer camp at night.  

Welcome Fall, I hope you stick around as long as the Summertime did.