By Eamon Scarbrough
Autumn has now set its solemn foot in Portales’ soil. The trees are losing their color and vigor, which will be followed shortly by their descent to 
the ground. The farther into the season that we get, the more oppressive the sun seems, thus exposing the raw emptiness of our little hamlet once the beauty of life is sucked from it.
There are still many trees with their leaves completely intact. Sure, this may not necessarily be an anomaly, but I can still look out my window and see a ripe bouquet of green; there’s hardly a yellow or red to be found. This doesn’t necessarily jive with the temperature dropping to 50 and sometimes below as of late, so I imagine that will change soon. It is almost painful to look upon these apparently healthy trees knowing full well that I will wake up one day soon to see them stripped of their beauty.
I also feel that the autumn coming into its own so late means that Portales is due for a very cold winter. This is never enjoyable for me, but, for some strange characters, these are ideal conditions. I can understand enjoying the winter for the snow, but because we live on the plains and not the mountainous regions of Colorado, this probably isn’t in the cards for us. And if snow does end up falling, if only for a day (maybe two if we get “lucky”), all school will be cancelled until the town can figure out how to deal with this white menace. Roads will be closed—if not by the police then by the hindrance of snowfall.
There are obviously dismal conditions in Portales’ future, and this sudden drop in temperature is only the first sign. The fall and winter always bring with them a certain change in mindset. When the calm, relaxed dispositions of summer begin to wear thin, overcome with the prospect of homework and class, they are overtaken by the tense nervousness of the chill seasons. It is fitting that the bleak conditions of these seasons hold in store for students the risk of failing tests, missing class, and dropping out. But by the end, when one actually has made it through the chaos, that tense nervousness can be that much more rewarding.
Of course, the fall and winter have their highpoints as well. There is no better opportunity to eat to the point of gluttony than Thanksgiving. Getting gifts and being around those we care about the most make Christmas the perfect way to end the year. And coming in from the cold to seek solace by the heater is enjoyable any time, especially with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. So I suppose it is a tad unfair to pin the fall semester as fraught with negativity, but sometimes I sure wish that it could be warm all year round. Weather can really play a large role in how we perceive the pattern of our lives, and how we choose to deal with what comes our way.