Dear Reader:

Yesterday morning, after saying ” Rabbit, Rabbit” I wandered onto the front porch to turn off my night light lantern. I was literally stopped in my tracks by cool breezes sweeping across the plants and decor. I raised my arms in sheer abandonment and twirled…FALL HAD FALLEN!!!!

You must remember that typically a Lowcountry Summer dominates over a much shorter Fall … and then for good measure Indian Summers or Second Summers make several reappearances.

So to feel low sixties and very low humidity on the first day of September ( following a tropical storm) was quite novel. Luscious green grass, bright blue skies… it felt like God had whitewashed and then polished Summerville… a fresh clean scent pervaded the yard. )

According to several etymologists, Indian Summer ( meaning a brief return of warmth following the first frost before the first snowfall) derived in several ways with different meanings depending on location and circumstances.

1) The Narragansett people in the Nottheast, believed that this temporary seasonal condition was caused by a warm wind sent from their southwestern god – Cautantowwit- ” Great Spirit.”

This Native-American belief coincides with the theory that this brief period of returned warmth would allow the tribes to increase their ” winter stores” before the last harvest in November.

Even though Grandmother Wilson would hope for an Indian Summer to harvest as much cotton as possible… I remember the term being used in another way as a child visiting the farm.

A slang version of the term Indian Summer- came to mean a pleasant or successful time that arrived nearly at the end of one’s life or career.

While the farm women shelled peas and gossiped they would talk about a neighbor who had lost a spouse but now the old man had a new ” giddy-up” in his step since the next door widow lady started visiting him! He was in ” Indian Summer.”

A friend, who went to Scotland a few years ago used the term ” Indian Summer” to describe the beautiful surprisingly warm weather they encountered and a tour guide explained how this weather period came by the same term in Scotland.

Scots can trace the term back to the late 1700’s. The guide explained it had to do with sending British troops to India in late fall-there the troops experienced the warm weather of India as compared to the chilly Fall conditions back in Scotland.

Today this term is being altered and / or replaced ( especially by meteorologists) who now call it the ” SECOND SUMMER.”

So until tomorrow… No matter the name, the first lines of this beautiful prose defines it perfectly… ” This strangely still pause between summer and autumn…”

I agree! “It is one of the best parts about living on earth…”

Today is my favorite day– Winnie the Pooh

In the Lowcountry we will experience many Second Summers before Fall arrives to stay!

*** You might remember I mentioned that my two cousins from Lauren’s ( Charles and Marilyn) had birthdays on the same date. .. August 31.

When I checked in on Charles to see if he was partying -he said ” No… something else came up.” This was the something.

*** The calf came early… apparently too early for the mother who was not ” getting with the program ” -No ” Mother of the Year Award for her.” ( Thus the big baby bottle Charles was trying to feed the calf with… at least the little newborn knows ” Who’s Your Daddy… 🎵 Who’s Your Daddy? “🫰🫰👋)

Let’s All Enjoy this luscious time-out from out hot hot summer! 🙏🏻