Tuesdays and Saturdays I'd walk you home...

Ahhh, autumn. Not to be confused with atoms. Yesterday, I was introducing a class to atoms, and a kid says "Miss, isn't it pronounced autumn, not atom?"

"No dear, you are thinking of the season."

However, autumn, the season, and not the smallest particle of an element that still has properties of that element, is my favourite.

I've started to feel the chill of autumn in the air, and it makes me very happy. I love when summer's completely out of the air. You can wear your favourite sweaters and hoodies again. The leaves start to turn and they crunch under your feet on the ground. There's that familiar autumn-y smell in the air. You can get your fill of pumpkin spice lattes. You put away your sandals for good and wear your favourite sneakers. Things start to feel a bit spooky and it's time to read your favourite ghost stories. (Mine being Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.) Before you know it, you need to wear mittens and scarves at night, and things just seem crisp, clean, and make a whole lot of sense.

Of course, that's all how I feel about autumn. Maybe you're not a fan. I like all of the seasons, but fall is just so special to me.

I have my favourite fall songs, of course, and I think it's time to dust them off, plus add some new ones. Here's a list of list of songs that always make me feel autumn-y and remind me of autumns past.

1) Autumn's Here by Hawksley Workman - This is *the* autumn song, as you can tell by the title. It's brilliant. It'll always take me back to my autumn in Northern Ontario, where there were no leaves to turn (all conifers), but I'm pretty sure there were ghosts, and I could smell fires every evening.

2) Annie Use Your Telescope by Jack's Mannequin - The first line is "it started feeling like October" so this song is a pretty easy choice. However, the wistful feeling and sound to the song is also very autumn-y.

3) When You Were Young by The Killers - When this song was played on the radio endlessly, it was the fall when I was driving back and forth to London 'cuz my dad was in the hospital there. So it just reminds me of driving down colourful fall roads, and even though that was a stressful time in my life, it made things better.

4) Blacking Out the Friction by Death Cab for Cutie - This song mentions scarves, caps, and sweaters which I love busting out in the fall.

5) Happen Now by Joel Plaskett - This is just a simple guitar song that is perfect to listen to on a chilly evening.

6) Emaline by Ben Folds - Opening line: "I wish it was last September when we could lose ourselves in crowds every day." Reminds me of university.

7) Carried Away by Hayden - I was going to put the obvious Hayden song, "In September", but I like this crunchy singalong better.

8) Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day - September is a crazy month for me, so I take this song literally.

9) Left and Leaving by the Weakerthans - I love the line "Spring forward, fall back down." This song actually works at any time of year, but I like it best during the fall. It also reminds me of making the trip back home at Thanksgiving, and how home's not really home anymore because I left it.

10) Miss You Now by Elliot Brood - I just downloaded the album "Mountain Meadows" last night and I'm in love. It's got lots of banjos, guitars, and is a perfect soundtrack for this autumn. This is my favourite song so far.

Are there any songs that make you think of autumn?