thank god for fall

Rain, rain, rain. To say we needed it is a vast understatement. The river had turned to a creek, three of my four new plants died a slow death, and I seriously considered moving to the North Pole. But thank god for autumn. Miss Summer, a bitch of sorts, has finally died a slow death. Mind you she went out kicking and screaming—desperately clinging to her best friends Heat and Humidity. She’s fiery old broad, and this year she really flexed her muscles, spewing forth heat wave after heat wave.

How I envy snow birds who can afford to flee mid-Atlantic summers and winters. I’ve heard the specious argument that you can’t really appreciate the good weather without experiencing the bad. I say phooey! Give me a warm, dry climate near the ocean—California for example. A couple of months ago I visited my folks out there, and it was absolutely gorgeous—80 degree days, dropping to high 50s at night. Sure they may have earthquakes, mud slides, out of control fires and aging hippies, but they do have some of the finest weather—and pot—known to man.

Anyway, I suppose we should be grateful for the few months of heaven we experience this time of year. Let the good times roll: pumpkins, pumpkin lattés, pumpkin pancakes, hay rides, Halloween parties, changing leaves, football, soup, chili, leggings, tights, sweaters, Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), improved fishing and best of all, the brats have returned to their cages—thank god for school! Life could be worse. But don’t get too comfortable because Fall’s big brother, Winter, is sure to blow back into town. And if I remember correctly he wasn’t in a very good mood last year.

P.S. Yesterday morning, my editor, Megan, informed me that my blog might be a bit too negative. She brought this up before her morning coffee fix so I kind of took it with a grain of salt, though I did listen. And as I’ve learned the hard way, it’s best not to mess with the editor before her first cup. In any case, I wish everyone a happy fall! May you hit the lottery, buy a yacht, fall in love and sail as far away from the east coast as humanly possible.