290/365 The air is off.

Windows open, cats on alert. Sweater at the ready. Ahhh, autumn. Better late than never.

270/365 Autumn in my mind

It means Halloween, Thanksgiving, roasted chestnuts, apple cider and my birthday. According to the calendar it should be here, but I know we'll have to wait a while to feel it. I DID spend my afternoon with the sounds of crunching bones, sportscasters and beer commercials. I DID resist a strong temptation to stock up on Brach's candy-corn-dominated autumn mix while it is good and fresh in the store. I paused my podcast today when my morning run included an interlude of crunching leaves beneath my Nikes. But I'd be fooling myself to believe it was here. Half a block from home I was drenched, more from the humidity than from my own efforts. The pool water still hovers near 80 degrees unassisted, and the a/c unit cranks on regular cycles. Open window, light jacket, convertible-top-down-at-high-noon season is yet to come.