Where has the summer gone? It seems like it just started and now it’s almost over, and my grand intentions of socializing and going out and working on my various projects evaporated like a shallow puddle in the hot sun.
When the masking rules and suggestions went away, that seemed like the perfect time to make my reentry into society– wearing lipstick again was surely a milestone worthy of celebration. I dreamed of a big summer trip to London or Paris, and when that didn’t work out, I comforted myself with macarons and swiftly began planning a Christmastime trip instead.
Now, masking rules are back, the Delta variant is raging, and I have no idea if we’ll even be allowed to travel when December rolls around. Alas, alack.
The result of all of this? I ended up doing almost nothing this summer. I stayed home, I ate some good food, and I hung out with the same few people I’ve been hanging out with during the pandemic. I started rereading Harry Potter (I’m currently on Half-Blood Prince!), I finally watched the TV adaptation of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, my favorite book that I read in 2020 (I had to give myself enough time to get a little distance from the book, in case it didn’t live up to expectations; it did), and I revisited pictures from my day trip to Oxford of several years ago. You can see them on Instagram; if you’re following me there, you may already know about all of these not-so-exciting activities.
Now we’re heading into fall, or rather, the idea of fall, or perhaps just the technicality of fall. Fall as a reality often doesn’t happen in Tennessee for a couple more months. It seems to be starting to cool down a bit, though, which makes me hopeful; I’m always longing for an opportunity to put on a sweater.
Unfortunately, we’re still a ways off from sweater weather here. It’s more like the end of summer (the later half of summer?) than the beginning of fall. So how will I be filling this strange between-seasons gap?
One way is by celebrating the beginning of apple season. Apples make up some of my favorite desserts, namely an applesauce cake and a French apple tart that I enjoy every year. In case you’re wondering, a piece of leftover apple tart makes a delightful breakfast. For that matter, the applesauce cake also goes really well with your morning coffee.
Apple season also means apple cider season. The real stuff just doesn’t taste the same as what you can get year-round. The season is short, but it is glorious. Obviously it is the embodiment of fall heated with a cinnamon stick, but a few years ago I was reminded of a scene from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy where they drank cold cider with hot popcorn, and I can attest to this being a perfect pairing.
Maybe, even if it isn’t sweater weather, it’ll cool down enough to put on something that isn’t a tank top, heat some cider, and do some reading. I’ve been planning to read The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, for ages; it’s about a justice-seeking poisoner in eighteenth century London. Another book I’ve been looking forward to is Rivka Galchen’s Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch, about the witchcraft trial of Johannes Kepler’s mother. The former is set in my favorite city, and the latter in Leonberg, a town near where I lived in Germany. Historical novels in nostalgic settings are just the sort of thing I love for fall, or any time, really. I may also celebrate Susanna Clarke’s victory at this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction by reading her short story collection, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, which I’ve heard fits flawlessly into the world and style of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I won’t say exactly what that world entails so as not to spoil it for those of you who haven’t read it yet, because it really shouldn’t be missed.
I hope you’re enjoying your in-between month, and that you have some lovely adventures ahead of you, even if you have to resort to finding them on the page or on the screen. Do tell me if you have any recommendations for your fallish favorites.
Sending love and cider,
Susanna
