The First Day Of Fall Is Upon Us

September 22 is the first day of fall.

(Above–The 1890 painting Autumn Rain by Julian Alden Weir.)

What exactly is fall?

Here is a definition.

From that defintion–

“The autumnal equinox marks the first day of the fall season. On this day, the Sun is again directly over the earth’s equator, and daylight lasts 12 hours in the Northern Hemisphere and decreasing. This day is typically recognized as September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the first day of spring is recognized on September 23.”

Though I imagine we all get the idea no matter the specific definition. Even if it is our own idea that we get.

The seasons mean different things to different people and the seasons mean different things depending on where you live.

Here are facts about why leaves change color from the United States National Arboretum.

The seasons may mean something totally different from what we take them to represent in everyday thought.

Martin Luther King once said this—

“The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”

Metaphor gives life substance.

Above is a picture taken by Wing-Chi Poon of the Lost Maples State Natural Area in Texas.

I had not heard of this Lost Maples place before I started writing this post. It is not at all like what I see in Houston.

Isn’t it excellent that the world is full of different places? There is so much to see and to learn.

This park is in Bandera and Real counties in Texas.  It is yet another resource provided by government for the good of the general public.

I turned 44 a few days ago. I don’t suppose that it is yet the autumn of my years. Maybe it is mid to late summer.

For those who don’t want summer to ever end—No need to worry.

Climate Change is real and it will stay warmer more and more as the years pass by.

Summer is my favorite season. I like the heat and the long days because I feel they are the most conducive to creativity and optimism.

Though, of course, fall has many virtues.

In the last few years I lived up north in Cincinnati, fall made me apprehensive because the short cold days of winter that were approaching struck me as depressing.

Now that I am in Texas, I would enjoy at least a few crisp autumn days.

This makes me yet another person to observe that we only know what we are missing until after the fact.

Houston is often very hot and first day of fall does not mean so much. It’s greatest meaning may be that hurricanes rarely strike this part of the country after the third week of September.

How should we note the first day of fall? Should we conduct a sacrifice?

No. I think that would be somewhat severe.

Instead, let us mark the new season by being kind to others.

I think that would be best for all seasons of the year.

(Below—Autumn at Tsaritsyano Park in Moscow. Picture taken by Корзун Андрей.)

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett Paints Himself As Voice Of Reason, Yet At The Same Time He Panders To Tea Party

David Jennings, a top conservative blogger who serves as a mouthpiece for the local so-called Tea Party movement, writes that the campaign manager of Harris County Judge Executive  Ed Emmett appeared at yesterday’s meeting of the so-called King Street Patriots. The King Street Patriots are a local Tea Party cell that advocates sending out poll watchers for the 2010 election in Harris County, in an attempt to forestall through intimidation the demographic changes that will soon leave the Republican Party in the minority in Harris County and in Texas as a whole.

The Republican Party will do anything at all to hang on a bit longer because once Democrats start winning, they will go on winning for a long time.

The Tea Party says elections are being stolen in Harris County. They have no proof, but they keep on saying that elections are being stolen in Harris County. It’s easy to say that when you think that conservative white folks are the only true Americans. Illegitimate  people by definition cast illegitimate votes.

In Wisconsin, Tea Party poll watchers are part of a plan to curb minority turnout.

Here is what Mr. Jennings wrote in his mouthpiece blog, Big Jolly Politics, for September  20—

“I have to admit that I was shocked when Ryan Walsh, Campaign Manager for Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, was the first speaker with a message from the judge. His message? That now is the time more than ever to get involved and get trained to be a poll watcher, that he supports the efforts of King Street, and that we need to make certain that every person gets one vote counted accurately.”

Judge Emmett likes to paint himself as a voice of reason. He knows that if he wants to last more than one more term, he will have to appeal to a diverse county that is trending Democratic.

So why are Judge Emmett’s representatives pandering to the Tea Party?

I suppose it is likely for the same reason that Judge Emmett himself did not appear at the King Street meeting.

Judge Emmett wants to be all things to all people. He’ll reach out to the Tea Party—But just so much.

I wager the Judge and his people are all over the county telling folks just what it is they wish to hear.

Let’s hope it is an act. We would not like to find out later that Judge Emmett has dabbled in witchcraft.

Here is the web home of Judge Emmett’s opponent Gordon Quan.