Fall Again

It’s that time of year again in central Virginia. When I got up at 6 AM, the temperature was 49°. At 10 AM, it’s 60°. The sky is blue, the sun is bright, and trees are turning their fall colors. Brown leaves are gathering in street gutters and on sidewalks. Soon they’ll be in my yard, thanks to the neighbor’s willow oak.

The high temperature is forecast to be 78° today and 75° tomorrow. Then highs will drop to the mid-60s with nighttime lows in the high-40s. That’s ideal; no heat needed, no cooling needed. Some people leave a bedroom window partly open at night and sleep under a blanket.

In fact, I enjoy sleeping with a window cracked open, especially in summer. I like the smell of fresh air, of mist in the air, of falling rain. I like grasshopper songs, distant rumbles of thunder and locomotive air-horns on passing trains. I feel connected to the world.

On the last October day, my neighborhood throws a Halloween party in the park across the street. It started as a neighborhood party, a safe place  for local kids to go and have something to do. There’s a haunted house, a bounce house, a costume contest. There’s a tent where a young lady will tell you your fortune. And so forth, but you get the idea. There are free snacks and drinks, like pop corn, soft drinks, and apple cider. And, of course, lots of music. Naturally, people from all over the city began showing up, and it became a city party. Now people come from neighboring cities as well, which they’re asked not to do, because it’s just a neighborhood park, but people (and monsters and princesses) are going to do what they want to do, and that is to be around other costumed people on Halloween. The park now gets a quite a crowd of people of all ages on Halloween, from small kids to grandparents. This year’s party will be on a Friday evening. If the weather is good, I predict a large crowd and a good many monsters and princesses – even a few Britney Spears.

 

Gretchen of the Swiss Alps?  >>