A change is in the air

The latter half of Labor Day weekend served as a reminder that while warm days are not gone forever, they will increasingly become the exception, not the rule. In the meantime, our garden is producing a bounty of tomatoes and vegetables, and tell-tale signs of summer's end: the sunflowers are in full bloom and every night brings a cricket's symphony.


Luckily, last week Lucy and I spent some Q.T. wandering aimlessly in the backyard and soaking in the late August rays. Paul's done a bang-up job on the yard, and though it's hard to capture on camera, our recently created flower bed looks kind of like a vivid Mario Bros. 3 level: strange flora I've never before encountered--a bouquet of colors, textures and shapes. One in particular makes a great Asian-inspired hair accessory and you don't even have to pluck it from its 6-foot stalk:


I can't say I'm really looking forward to the change of seasons. I try to enjoy fall on its own merits, but ultimately it's just a reminder of the winters I find increasingly insufferable. I'll be flying solo for three total weeks during a one-month period, so maybe it's just that I'm not looking forward to transitioning into a, shall we say, introspective (and insular?) experience. My stagnant fall wardrobe probably has something to do with it as well. But any way you slice 'n dice it, my lil' autumnal ginger snap will be with her (second-favorite) daddy, taking time out to watch the sun set and keep on the lookout.