From Summer to Autumn, From Autumn to Winter. I find myself surprisingly aware of the changing seasons.

A community project by Kaze no Boushi-san, who has been so kind to me.
I think I'll try writing along with the prompt for the first time in a while.
(Though, I'm sure I'll end up drifting off-topic.)

"Autumn has disappeared, hasn't it?"

My eldest daughter said that this morning.

…Hmm. Indeed.
It feels like winter is arriving in the blink of an eye this year.
Where I live in Hokkaido, the snow has already started to fall.

But, don't you feel like we're enjoying 'autumn' in one way or another?

The first thing that comes to mind is how delicious the mushroom soup in Otaki Village was.
And the cardboard boxes of persimmons sent from Yamagata, the hometown of my late grandmother.
Fruit is a luxury item now, but my home always had plenty of apples and persimmons, so we were very fortunate.

My friends would often say, 'I want to go see the autumn leaves,' but…
…I don't have much interest in that, and even if I go with them, I just end up thinking, 'Meh.'
Unfortunately, I might not be the type of person who gets recharged by nature or scenery.

Rather than that, I'm more concerned about things like the snow bugs starting to fly and getting stuck all over my clothes.
Or, 'Tomorrow the temperature will be in the single digits,' 'It's time to change the tires,' 'There's snow on the mountain pass,' 'The bridge might be frozen tomorrow,' and so on and so forth.

This time of year, when I'm fidgeting over such things, is surprisingly interesting.

And seeing my child, who was wearing diapers just a little while ago, eating saury and persimmons,
'These are seasonal foods, right?' 'So delicious!'
Seeing them use words they just learned with a smug look on their face makes me think that the seasons help raise people, too.

Even if it is a fleeting 'autumn'.

So, in one way or another, I am enjoying this short autumn, however brief it may be.

Still, this temperature difference is tougher than the one between winter and spring.
Perhaps because it's not as humid as summer and the air is clear and dry, it's particularly harsh on my throat.
I had to take a day off work yesterday due to the pain and coughing.

(Ah, minus several thousand yen…)

While feeling down about that, I snacked on the sweets from my eldest daughter's school trip,
(The night view photos of Nagasaki were beautiful, I thought.)
And by my side, my 15-year-old black cat is basking in the soft sunlight, and I feel the blessings of the autumn season.