By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Most everyone learns about the seasons and that they only occur in temperate climates. Remember Pete Seeger singing “Turn, turn, turn, turn. There is a season for everything under heaven.” I always wondered what it would be like to live at the equator, never building snow people or feeling the fresh breezes of spring. Fortunate are we who live where temperatures rarely reach 100 degrees in the summer. I know, we complained about the long hot summer we had this year. But blackberries never ripen as well as they do during such a summer. If you are a blackberry connoisseur you have learned that there are numerous varieties, many growing wild in our area.

When I was a child we could go out in our alley and pick the luscious Himalayas growing along the fence line. The evergreen blackberries were firmer and more tart resulting in wonderfully tasty pies. My fellow is a genius at locating blackberry patches and isn’t afraid of climbing a steep bank to pick enough to make a pie or two. He shared his picking with a neighbor who made the berries up into a cobbler. At a recent family gathering to visit with my grand niece and her daughters who were visiting from Japan that cobbler made a big hit along with the deviled eggs which are my fellow’s specialty.

And what is my relative doing in Japan? She teaches at a university there and also runs a school, teaching English as a second language. This year she is chaperoning a group of Japanese students who come to the Seattle area for home stays. I remember many years ago hosting a Japanese acquaintance of my grand niece. He was amazed at the houses here with so many rooms. He took pictures of my house to show his friends back in Japan.

Some years ago my late husband and I visited his family, traveling with him across Japan as far as Pearl Island. One night we visited the night club area where we saw geishas in their traditional kimonos scurrying in and out of tea houses. Naturally I commented on the freedom of men to frequent the tea houses to be waited on by Japanese women while their wives stay at home. It has only been recently that the women in Japan began complaining about being molested on the overcrowded trains in Japan. Change takes time but as women gain opportunities for education and equal pay, they begin to demand equality in other areas of life.

Speaking of equality, our country’s Equal Rights Amendment was abandoned nationally after only 35 of the 38 states needed for passage came through before the time ran out. There is a move to begin the process of ratifying the ERA once more. As I have mentioned many times, the Supreme Court has allowed corporations to be persons under the law but it hasn’t given that right to women as yet. Perhaps it is the season for women to step up and be more involved in government.

Our society has become so complex with Facebook and smart phones taking much of our time there may be a tendency to neglect voting issues. But as the season turns to fall our minds turn to our obligation to become informed. Yes, it is time to take our civic responsibilities seriously. I know that I will welcome fall even with the chance of having Seasonal Affective Disorder again when the cloud cover returns. Life is a mix of joy and sorrow, contentment and discomfort. It has always been thus so bring it on, you hear?

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at 206-935-8663 gnkunkel@comcast.net.