Feelings of Fall [publisher's letter]
Tracy Patterson
Fall is such a
beautiful time of year, and I’ve been noticing the different feelings it
conjures up since I moved to Arizona from the snowy North country. I’ve always
loved the crisp fresh air, cool breeze, and colorful foliage of the autumn
season and how it provokes a calm and somewhat melancholy mood.
As a child, fall was a
time when we could still run around barefoot on some days and play in the
leaves, but mostly I looked forward to the first snowfall and all the fun that
came with winter activities. As I grew older, winter became more about scraping
windshields, driving on icy roads and in blizzards, and always having achy
muscles from the cold; so despite my love of fall, there was a part of me that
also felt the less desirable emotion of dread as the season progressed into
winter. Of course, there are many climates in Arizona, some of which have snow,
but usually not six to seven months of it, and usually not unbearably cold.
The feelings of fall
since I’ve moved to Arizona have taken some getting used to. Here, I still
smell fall in the air, feel the cool breeze, and enjoy the many colors of the
season. What I don’t seem to feel is the calm and melancholy but rather the
emotion of excited anticipation—here we’ve been inside in air conditioning all summer, and venture
out in the early morning and late evening to dog walk, cycle or take a hike. Then
one day we can stay out a little later in the morning, or go out a little
earlier in the evening and we aren’t hit with a wall of heat. What a feeling—it
must be fall! And fall leads to winter, which is full of outdoor activities,
farmers’ markets, festivals, and the list goes on. For me, it’s such a feeling
of freedom to cruise through a beautiful fall and know there’s so much more to
come.
Speaking of farmers’
markets, Arizona is also interesting because our markets are revving up in
October, whereas the cold, snowy northern parts of the country are hunkering
down for the winter. It’s so exciting to know that we have farmers’ markets with
great produce right through the winter season, with some that carry on into the
spring and summer as well.
On that note, you’ll
find a list of farmers’ markets on page 44. We’ve tried to make it as
comprehensive as possible, and show all of the markets with their winter and
summer dates and hours so that readers can get an idea of just how bountiful
this state is throughout the year. Healthy living is about good food and lots
of exercise, and Arizona provides us with a fantastic array of options.
I also want to let you
know that Arizona has three chapters that support the global Slow Food movement—Phoenix (SlowFoodPhoenix.org),
Prescott (Facebook.com/slowfoodprescott)
and Southern Arizona (SlowFoodSouthernAZ.org).
Make sure to check out the article on page 34 to learn all about this great
movement.
Tracy
