George Selden Thompson:
(May 14, 1929 – December 5, 1989).
American author. Known professionally as George Selden, he also wrote under the pseudonym Terry Andrews. He is best known for his 1961 book The Cricket in Times Square, which received a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1963 and a Newbery Honor.
I guess I’m just feeling September-ish. All the trees change color, the days get very clear―with a little smoke on the horizon from burning leaves. Pumpkins begin to come out.
“Feeling September-ish” means experiencing the distinctive mood of early autumn:
– crisp, clear days and cooler nights
– leaves beginning to change color
– pumpkins and other signs of harvest time
– a gentle sense of nostalgia, restlessness, or homesickness
In context, the speaker is not merely describing the weather. He is longing for his country home and sensing that it is time to return. “September-ish” is an invented but readily understandable adjective meaning ‘autumnal in both atmosphere and emotion’.
The reference to “smoke on the horizon from burning leaves” reflects a once-common American autumn practice that is now restricted in many places.
📚 Origin and author:
The passage is from “The Cricket in Times Square” by George Selden, first published in 1960 and illustrated by Garth Williams.
It is spoken by Chester Cricket, who is living in New York City but misses his home in the Connecticut countryside. The seasonal memories express his growing homesickness.
George Selden was the pen name of American writer George Selden Thompson (1929–1989).
📝 Significance:
This is not an old proverb or traditional saying. It is a literary quotation associated with Selden’s novel. Its charm comes from the coined word “September-ish,” which condenses the sights, smells, weather, and wistful feeling of early autumn into a single expression.
