This week's word comes to us from the Middle English sesoun through the Old French seson and the Vulger Latin satio, meaning time of sowing or planting, all arising from the Latin serere, meaning to sow. Season shares its origins with the word seed, and both entities are concerned with fertility, fruitfulness and nourishment. The noun describes four divisions of the calender year as defined by designated differences in temperature, rainfall, daylight and the growth of vegetation: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
In earlier times, a season simply marked the interval within which an important hunting and/or agricultural activity was undertaken and completed i.e. the planting season, the harvest season, the hunting season, the dormant season. Each season is complete within itself whether viewed through the lens of the calendar year or the loving eyes of a crone and her camera rambling in the Great Round. Each season is a cycle with its beginning (sowing), its center or middle (cultivation and nurturing) and its completion (harvest or reaping).
In much the same way, to season a broth or stew is to undertake a savory sowing of foodstuff with the seeds of taste and ambrosial fragrance. Be it the sowing, tending and reaping of one's vegetable garden or the careful addition of herbs and spices to a casserole, it's all about nurture and enjoyment.
On early morning August walks, a few yellowing maple leaves drift into our path and come to rest with soft whisperings on the dew spattered ground at our feet. The sound is a pleasing susurrus that lingers long after we have rounded a corner and are turning toward home. Shallow puddles along our way hold the fallen leaves in blithe fellowship with sky and clouds reflected from above, and whenever we pause, we are standing in boundless sky.
September begins in a few weeks, and no doubt about it, autumn is not far away. If you live in the north, the coming season is about apples, rain and falling leaves, and the words form a lovely rustling mantra (or litany) as we ramble in the village and through the Lanark highlands. It's all good. With sweet and spicy things we will season the autumn days to come.
5 comments:
Our leaves are falling from age and not day length quite yet.
Much as I like autumn, Tabor, I am hoping that the fallen leaves we encounter on our walks are not signs of an early fall season.
I can hardly wait for Fall :) Our Silver Maple leaves always turn yellow quite early - even in July; not from the usual cycle of the seasons, but we're told because there's not enough iron in the soil. Still I look forward to the crisp Fall air. We had a taste of that yesterday and this morning - and rain too! Delightful :)
Darlings! Please don't mention the A-word quite yet...We are still in full on summer...let's enjoy what's left of it before we start jumping the gun into A! :)
I love the idea of small, intimate, local seasons - planting season, harvest season, season of rainbows over the waters, swan season ...
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