Planet Earth, which we humans increasingly have been making a mess of since the Industrial Revolution began in the late 1700s, nonetheless has remained reliable in various ways. It keeps on spinning, for one thing, and traveling around the Sun, for another. Good thing that it does, no? If those movements were thrown out of whack, we, along with every entity taking up earthly space, would be goners in a couple of blinks of an eye.
Well, as we know, on the 22nd of September those good ol’ reliable movements brought about the autumnal equinox and the vernal equinox in, respectively, the northern and southern hemispheres. This was due to the Sun being directly above the equator, by the way. For me, a resident of the north, this event officially marked the beginning of my favorite time of year — fall — and prompted me to gather some thoughts about that season. Here they are, along with a few recordings that capture fall’s cozy, mellow essence. Damn straight, I’m in an autumnal mood!
This is the main reason why I like autumn as much as I do: I was born in late October, smack in the heart of fall. And my birthday has been lovingly acknowledged and celebrated, by one combination of people or another, every year of my life. Over time it became only natural for me to associate autumn with my birth anniversary. How could I not, seeing that autumn never fails to whisper frequent reminders in my ear about the approaching big day? And when that day arrives, autumn, behind the scenes, is one of the celebrants. Yeah, autumn loves me, and I therefore love autumn back, you dig?
To meld with autumn righteously and timely, on its first day this year I took a long walk through Hatboro, a cute town a few miles from where I live in the Philadelphia suburbs. I headed there with the newly-hatched season fully on my mind. The mid-day temperature was lovely, about 73° F (23° C), the skies were as blue as you could hope for, and a light breeze ruffled the few strands of hair that remain on the crown of my head. In other words, the day was pretty damn well ideal. How sweet it was not to be sweating like a pig, which I had done numerous times during walks in the just-departed summer. Autumn weather suits me just fine.
Hatboro was starting to get its autumnal mode in order. For instance, I saw scarecrows on a couple of porches and in a couple of store windows, and I gazed with admiration at the arrays of pumpkins in Produce Junction, a store on Hatboro’s main drag. But there was little evidence of fall in the billions of leaves within Hatboro’s boundaries. Only in a smattering of trees did I notice a changing of the color guard, such as in a tree outside of Produce Junction. Hints of gold decorated that specimen, harbingers of full-blown color transformations yet to come. I’m eagerly awaiting mid-to-late autumn’s golds, russets, burgundies and ambers. That palette grabs me powerfully each year, yet tenderly. Yes, autumn is a period of beauty that goes down as satisfyingly as comfort food.
As I walked through Hatboro, I pulled some autumn tunes out of my memory bank and let passages of them play silently in my head. I’ve always loved Autumn Almanac, by The Kinks, and Van Morrison’s Autumn Song. They provided part of my stroll’s soundtrack. As did Harvest Moon, a Neil Young composition that quite a number of musicians have covered. Young’s version is special. It makes me go limp with wonder, so beautiful do I find it. In Hatboro, those songs, and a few others, kept me company excellently.
Back home later that day I did some research into fall-themed songs, discovering Eva Cassidy’s live rendition of Autumn Leaves (music by Joseph Kosma, English lyrics by Johnny Mercer). With vocals emanating from Cassidy’s most-private chambers, this performance would break the hearts of all but the stoniest. And I reconnected with Autumn Serenade (music by Peter DeRose, lyrics by Sammy Gallop), off the album that the famous saxophonist John Coltrane recorded in 1963 with the not-so-famous vocalist Johnny Hartman. A bit more research would have revealed many others, so deep a hold has autumn maintained on songwriters past and present.
Rather than overload this essay with YouTube presentations, I’ve decided to limit the recordings to three. I think you’ll enjoy the following Young, Cassidy and Coltrane/Hartman works. Be well, boys and girls. And, as I usually mention, please don’t be shy about adding your comments.
“Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness”. I’m never ready to let go of summer, but when autumn arrives, I remember I like it more. Nice song choices. Do you know October by U2. Not a big fan of U2 these days, but I liked their early stuff, and that one is totally different: a short piano mood piece which captures the season perfectly.
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Hi there, George. I agree with you about the U2 song. I’d forgotten about that one. I wonder if they ever play it in their concerts.
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I was a July baby but I love autumn (and spring, too). George mentions Keats’ “To Autumn” and I was reminded of it, too. A wonderful capture of the best of autumn.
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Greetings, Lynette. Are the leaves changing color where you live? I’m guessing that they are.
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Oh yes. Then we had a giant wind storm a couple of days ago and now they are all gone.
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Well, you DEFINITELY got me with Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, two of my faves and two of the best of all time. But I loved the others too, so thanks for the memories. And the music. I don’t know Hatboro, but I love Philadelphia (& Rosemont where my cousin Lynn lives) and fall. Which was also lovely in the Virginia of my childhood and the Georgia of my earlier life. Sadly, we do not observe fall in California. In the Bay Area we go from summer fog to September/October heat to rain. I seldom complain about walking weather almost 365 days a year, but the warmed globe now has turned the state — and the beautiful wine country — into a tinder box. Send a little fall weather our way now, please; CA fire season has only just BEGUN. And enjoy the cool over there.
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The fires in California are beyond belief. An incredible disaster.
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Your autumn 🍂 looks great… here, in Sweden, we have 50F & 90% rain most of the days 😂 but still I like autumn bcz most of my writing done during the cold 🥶 time of the year 🙂
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Hey there. I’m very glad to hear from you. Your country is getting far more rain than I ever would have guessed. Do you always get a lot of rain at this time of year?
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Autumn is rainy season & cold. And dark but winter is worse 😂
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Here in Oz we are approaching summer, after that terrible drought and bushfire time last year… I think the whole country is bracing itself a little 😦
Enjoy the soft kiss of Autumn
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Hi. Like everyone, I’m hoping that Australia doesn’t have repeat of all those fires. They got a lot of coverage here in the USA. As I’m sure you know, the western USA has been badly damaged by fires over the last few months.
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It was re-traumatizing watching you all suffer those fires- when are politicians going to DO SOMETHING?
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Hi Neil, After Spring (birthday May!) Autumn takes second place. Both are a delight. The Great music is appreciated, as is Mother Nature’s generous palette of shades…You’re an observant guy, so you may have seen an early sky like the one here this morning (Spain). At 7.20 it was like nothing I’d ever noticed before. Midnight blue – no exaggerating…pristine, with white clouds low on the horizon. Within 20 mins it turned to milky, pale blue. It was stunning.
LOST IN A TECHNICOLOUR WORLD
The silence is deafening…
every careful footfall intrudes.
Surrounded by a dream world of infinite variety –
I shiver –
feel the presence of a talented ghost with a brush;
look up and see its work: an autumnal labyrinth –
such beauty to behold,
A scene to treasure: ochre, scarlet, bronze, topaz and gold.
Happy Birthday Neil
Best wishes
Joy xx
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Joy, I’d have loved to see that sky. It sounds absolutely incredible. I wonder what the conditions were to cause the sky to look like that.
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The autumn colour of your area is one of the very few things which would attract me to visit the USA – obviously, you are another! I admire the fabulous photographs showing the colour of autumn trees which are truly glorious. We don’t get the same summer temperatures here and, consequently, don’t get the same intensity of autumn colour.
I am more than a little envious of your 23C as you went on your outing. Temperatures here are more generally around 10C at the moment with damp air all the time. Nonetheless, we have managed a few days out which were very enjoyable.
Do continue to enjoy your season and your upcoming birthday!
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Hi Paddy, and thanks. It’s true that many states in the USA have spectacular displays in autumn of color-changing leaves. These are really fantastic in forested areas, such as in Maine and Vermont and in parts of Pennsylvania. In some places, loads of tourists arrive each year to look at the colorful trees.
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Best birthday wishes, Neil. It looks like you’re building up to it nicely.
Love the pictures, especially those pumpkins. It looked like they were observing bubbles of social distance, which has now become something of an obsession…
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Social-distancing pumpkins! But they forgot to put their masks on.
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Autumn is definitely my favorite season too. There’s a magic in the air. Best birthday wishes.
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Hey there, and thank you very much. I still like to celebrate my birthdays, but I wish that I was at least 20 years younger than I am.
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Hope you have a great birthday. Yes, autumn can’t be beat for pleasant memories.
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Thanks for the birthday wishes. In a few weeks I’ll be a whole lot older than I think of myself as being. There’s no holding back time.
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Autumn is my favorite season too Neil. Thanks for taking us on your walk. Stay safe and well.
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Afternoon, Lynne. Thanks for stopping by. Are the tree leaves changing in your region? They’ve started where I am, but are only in the early stages.
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Yes Neil. The leaves are beginning to show off their autumn colors. I expect another 7-10 days will see them at their peak.
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One of the drawbacks of the pandemic for us is not being able to travel to see fall foliage. Please post more pictures once the leaves really turn. And because autumn is my favorite season also, I think that being in the “autumn years” of our lives will be the best also!
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If Trump loses in November that will help to improve our “autumn years” immeasurably!
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I’ve always loved fall. I was the quintessential nerd who really liked when it was time to go back to school.
Love Neil Young and Harvest Moon!
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Yeah, Harvest Moon really can carry you away. It’s one of the sweetest songs out there.
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Agreed.
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All wonderful…..but Eva Cassidy? Oh, my!
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I know what you mean. Her performance is magnificent.
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I, too, love autumn—the changing leaves, the wonderful nutty smell, the crisp but not cold days. Like you, eldest daughter was born the end of October, which makes it a very special time for us. Your birthday is still a few weeks away, but a very happy birthday to you! Listening to Neil Young—one of my favorites—and the lovely “Harvest Moon.” Many, many thanks!
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Afternoon, Laurie. When it comes to changing leaves, your state is near or at the top of the ladder. Enjoy them!
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Maine is indeed glorious in the fall.
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Thank you for the beautiful music (Eva Cassidy’s rendition of “Autumn Leaves” got my tears flowing) and for the line “autumn is a period of beauty that goes down as satisfyingly as comfort food.” A lovely start to October. Happy birthday!
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Thanks, Paula. Over the last day or two, I’ve started to really get into a pre-birthday mood.
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Wonderful thoughts, music, and pictures for autumn, Neil! I love Coltrane! Have a great birthday!
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Hi. Yeah, Coltrane was a titan. I could have seen him at New York City clubs in the 60s, but I wasn’t into jazz back then, so didn’t. I really wish that I had.
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Thanks for sharing Eva Cassidy’s rendition. Beautiful!
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I know. And I discovered her performance only a short while before I began writing this story. She sings that song magnificently.
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You have gotten me in the mood for Autumn and l always enjoy your choice of music!
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Hi there, Joyce. In a week or two we’ll see lots of ambers and golds on the trees around here. A beautiful time of year.
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Gr8 Thoughts… Autumn is one of the best and one of my favourite season. Have a gr8 Birthday, bless you. ❤️❤️
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Hello, and thanks very much. I appreciate that.
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The Autumn Leaves was the first song my choir learned to sing way back in the fall of my eighth grade. I still remember learning my Alto part fondly. I don’t think kids have choir in junior high these days – sadly. We are just starting to get some relief here in California.
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Is there rain? Are the winds lessening?
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We seem to be ahead of you, autumn-wise, here in the Scottish Lowlands (and the Highlands, last week, for that matter). You still do a great job for your tourist board as ever, Neil!
I’m afraid I’ve never quite got as excited about Neil Young as many people of good musical taste do, but Eva Cassidy gets me every time. See also her version of ‘Songbird’ (even though I love the Christine McVie original, recorded overnight in a theatre in LA with champagne as the rocket fuel propelling it, the story goes).
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I’ll give her version of Songbird a listen. I have to admit that I’m very unfamiliar with Eva Cassidy.
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It was my brother-in-law playing an album of her covers once that got me on to her. Another great voice lost to us now, sadly.
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A lovely tour, Neil.
I have your colors up here right now.
I’ll send them south when we’re done with them.
Paz
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Thanks, Paz. You’re a gentleman!
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It’s my favorite time of year too. I am an October baby too, as is most of my family- we have at least one birthday every week 🙂 Thanks for the music Neil, I knew the first one and the other two were nice introductions.
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You might want to take a listen to the rest of the Coltrane/Hartman album. It was sort of an uncharacteristic recording for Coltrane. As far as I can recall, this is the only album that he ever made with a vocalist. Thanks for stopping by, Sandy. See ya!
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Wishing you an autumnal birthday celebration 🙂
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Many thanks, Rosaliene. Much appreciated.
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Happy birthday month! I’m an Autumn birthday too (early Nov/Scorpio) so I’ve always felt this season was all about me, too (just kidding). Enjoy!
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Here’s to you and me!
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Love the veranda decor too cute. It’s spring for us here in Aussie Land. During our Autumn though in our little town there is nothing like the colour yall get over there, a few trees here & there, we go for drives & have as look it would take 2 days to walk there. haha.
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It’s something how the seasons are opposite in the northern and southern hemispheres Our planet, not to mention the universe, is profoundly complex.
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The last video is unavailable, maybe U.K. copyright issues? Eva Cassidy was my late uncle’s favourite singer, so he introduced me to her. I knew the Neil Young song but not the video, which is rather sweet. In one of those Internet down the rabbit hole experiences it led me to a cover of Harvest Moon by Foxes and Fossils, whom I’d never heard of, and I’ve now spent a happy 20 minutes or so listening to their other covers of Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas etc. What beautiful voices.
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I know what you mean about YouTube rabbit holes. I’ve gotten caught up in them quite a few times. There’s so much stuffI on YouTube, it’s incredible.
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*October*
Bright sun and cool air;
azure skies and pumpkin pies.
Leaves fall in glory.
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Excellent!
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Most of the trees here haven’t changed color yet, but a few of them are just spectacular! I do like Fall, except for the fact that I can’t stop dwelling on the fact that it means Winter (my least favorite season) is just around the corner. But when I can manage to live in the moment, I do see that Fall has so much to offer!
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Evening, Ann. I’m not a big fan of winter either. I guess it’s my least favorite season too. Snow might be nice to look at, but it’s a pain!
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It’s funny how September comes around and a switch goes off. The weather has cooled significantly and we have less daylight. I’m no fan of fall as it’s a prelude to winter. Ugh… great choice of music though. At least that warms me even as the temperature continues to fall.
e
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Morning, Eden. Yeah, winter is uncomfortable, and is basically a nuisance. I guess that people who love to ski would disagree with that statement.
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Happy birthday month to you, Neil. Like you, I’m grateful that the earth keeps spinning around itself and rotating around our sun. And l share your love for fall and all it has to offer, which you expressed so eloquently. Doubtless autumn is your muse. 🍂🍂🍂
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Morning, Tanja. Yeah, autumn seems to be the only season that really gives me a major buzz. Have an excellent day. See ya!
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Your lovely post put me to the right autumn mood, Neil. I listened to Harvest Moon and Autumn Leaves. Both were loving and beautiful and went straight to my heart. The third clip I couldn’t open. Will try to listen to it on Spotify. Have a great week! Isabelle
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You know, I don’t understand why some YouTube files don’t play in certain countries. I guess it might have something to do with copyright rules. Changing the subject: My wife and I are watching a series called Nobel. It is partly set in your country. Have you seen it? So far we like it a lot.
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I haven’t seen the series, Neil. But I know the lead character was played by a well-known Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie and that the drama series has received various prizes in Europe.
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Listen to Forever Autumn by the Moody Blues. Great autumn song.
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Hi. Thanks for the suggestion. I listened to it. It’s a winner!
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Hi Neil: Leave it to you to find something nice to think about right now even with all that’s going on. Thanks for this post. Cheers.
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That’s the kind of guy I am! Take care, Muriel. Enjoy the week.
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Happy Birthday! My Birthday is October 11 so that made your essay even more special. Fall is
such a pretty time of the year, have you noticed even the traffic lights change color! Have a great day and be careful, I hurt my back raking leaves, I fell out of the tree three times. All the best Jerry
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The traffic lights change where you live? They’re stuck on red in my area!
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Autumn just kicking in here in Scotland but once there trees change colour it’s spectacular. I can’t say I enjoy the fact it’s getting colder, darker and wetter but the trees make up for it.
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The changing colors in the Highlands are fabulous each year, I’m sure. You’ll be enjoying all of that soon.
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What a gift! Johnny Hartman and Eva Cassidy. I could listen to either or both all night. Neil Young’s not bad, too. Great selection. Thanks!
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Hi, Donna. For me, the revelation was the Eva Cassidy track. What an astounding performance.
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We had an “Harvest Moon” here the other night. Beautiful. It was orange like a big pumpkin. Nice piece Neil. Great tunes. The Coltrane/Hartman is a classic in my pile. Johnny is one of those guys that should be more well know but hey, we know a few of those. How about ‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)t’, a CB fave. If I was more like you I would have caught that “Moon” on my phone. I’m just not that quick fella.
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Man, you’re right about King Harvest. What a great song. I’d have loved to have seen the Harvest Moon that you saw the other night. Take care, CB.
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Lovely autumn descriptions and reminiscences.
And you posted one of my favorites, Harvest Moon! Except that video was kinda hilarious. I just naively feel like Neil Young, a ’60s guy, would include a more diverse crowd maybe, lol…….
Conversely, Coltrane…brings back memories.
Lots of memories. All good.
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Hey there, Stacey. Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate them. I just got back from a meet-up with two guys I’ve been friends with for a long time. We sat in a shady part of a gorgeous park in Philadelphia. It was a beautiful autumn day there.
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Jealous.
I haven’t seen any friends since March.
Maybe soon……….!
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you got that one right, Neil: autumn is a special time and it has an awesome soundtrack and a rich palette of colours as you say. We’re into Spring here and that’s a special time too, out of the doldrums of winter and into the 12 weeks of lovely temperatures 🙂 good to hear from you, Neil 🙂
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Hey there. Enjoy the spring weather and greenery and flowers. Spring is a great time of year.
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Coming to the end of the rainy season here,,,bucketing down….everything as green as green can be.
But in a few weeks’ time it will be summer, and the delights of two hours of an evening with the hosepipes.
I had not heard Harvest Moon before…it was truly lovely. Thank you.
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Evening, Helen. California and other parts of the western USA could use all of your rain now and for years to come.
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I have blogging friends there…I just wish Icould send them some of our excess….
You might like this…words from Verlaine, music from Trenet, voice by Brassens….not just a reaction to autumn, but the words which told the Resistance that D Day was on.
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I love this piece. Johnny Hartman will forever be a fave
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Hi. Thanks for the visit. He was an excellent vocalist. His fame never reached the level of his talent.
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Love the Eva Cassidy number!
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It’s very poignant. How great it would have been to be in attendance at the club where that performance was filmed.
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Lovely post but I was completely distracted by the first part. I envisioned poor old Earth, trying to survive the machinations of man. Then thought about the infamous ‘wobbles’ Earth does every 6-14 years and decided that must be our planet trying to throw us off!
Sigh.
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There are wobbles? Uh oh, now I’m worried!
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Yeah, and no stopping them. Oh this crazy Earth!
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Your love for autumn, or fall, for that matter, is just contagious, Neil. May you have a great birthday this year, as usual 🎈
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Hey, Dot. Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the birthday wishes. Appreciated.
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Enjoy autumn – the colors, food, energy. It’s unfortunate it’s so short a season (at least here), but that does make us embrace it that much more. (Love those pumpkins – never seen ones as white as that. Hmm. I have a hankering for some pie.)
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Hi there. I can’t remember if I’d seen white pumpkins before. In any case, they are becoming a “thing”.
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My birthday is early October and I’ve always disliked October as the summer has ended. I’ve got a few Eva Cassidy albums in my car but I stopped playing them as each one is so sad I end up arriving at work full of sadness. Sorry Eva . .
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Greetings, Steve. One of these days I’ll listen to more of Eva’s material. I am familiar with very little of her work. Thanks a lot for stopping by. Enjoy the weekend!
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I too usually hate to see summer end, but somehow I’m so enjoying fall. Thank you Neil for such an upbeat post.
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Greetings, Michele. Thanks a lot for the thumbs-up. I’m glad you liked this piece.
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Advanced happy birthday to you! I’ve never experienced autumn but hopefully one day I will. I would love to see those pumpkin decors and of course the yellow and red leaves.
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You would enjoy the changing leaves very much. It’s a spectacular show, especially in forests and other heavily-wooded areas.
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That sounds so beautiful and peaceful. 🙂
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