Do you ever kind of get the feeling that October's....just messin' with ya? For instance, here in Casa WestEnders we made the heretofore unprecedented move of (wait for it) switching the thermostat over to the heat setting. (I know, right: GASP!) Now, I was monitoring the temperature inside, and it was hovering around the point when the warm air would come on...if I allowed it. But I wanted to hold off as long as possible. Why? Oh, I don't know...my innate stubbornness? A misplaced sense of...competition? (Who or what, exactly, I was attempting to beat, I have no clue...so let's just agree that I won, and leave it at that...)
But then--and here I'm going to ask you to take my word for it, because what I'm about to tell you will sound like I'm making it up, but I promise you it's the unvarnished truth--someone who shall remain nameless...okay, it was HUSBAND...begged...cajoled...slyly enlisted the children to join him in a verbal bullying campaign...and when none of that achieved the desired result, resorted to whining...to convince me to kickstart the furnace. (Yeah, it wasn't pretty. Especially considering that it was a whole lotta fuss for 66*...unbearably frigid, yeah? Oh, and I'M the only one who's ever cold, anyway!)
I swear we just had the windows open not very long ago to let in the fresh post-Summer breezes; nevertheless, with a sigh, I gave in to the familial pressure and turned on the heat. And then--wouldn't you know it--the temperatures plummeted and we got our very first overnight freeze warning. Riley's reaction was priceless: "I'm COLD! Capital "C", Capital "O". Capital "L". Capital "D". Exclamation point...snowflake emoji!" It was the kind of weather where you dress in layers in the morning, only to shed several of them by 10 a.m. (I shudder to admit that this includes...a coat! If you think I'm being dramatic...well, I AM, but you must understand that this goes against every fiber of my being. All right, all right--it wasn't really a thick one, but still! "Coat" and "October" are usually mutually exclusive...as it should be!)
Anyway, both of the horrified boys actually (grudgingly) donned long-sleeved warmup jackets to leave the house in the morning. They also found it necessary to complain about it vociferously, as if I, personally, had anything to do with the situation, or could remedy it for them. "Hmmm, hold on a minute, let me send a quick text to my close pal Mother Nature, and voice your concerns. I'm sure she'll get right on that. Oh, look, she says 'Suck it up, Buttercup'. Ooh, would you look at the time...now howzabout you get out of here and go learn something useful in school, 'kay?"
Then there was the dilemma that crops up at about this time every year, regarding whether to change the bedding from the lightweight sheets to flannels. Because you know what inevitably happens when you do that, right? Yep: "Hello, Indian Summer." So far the adolescent-heat-producing-organisms--I mean "sons"--have declined either warmer sheets or heavier covers. Husband and I, however, opted for both the fuzzier bedclothes AND the insulating blanket. And, of course, it's supposed to reach the mid-70s for the next 3 days. Which, on the one hand...yaaayyy! Who knows, maybe we can even fling open the sashes again (metaphorically) to soak up the last bit of pre-chilly Fall...ness. On the other hand...better dig out the lighter fleece throw, lest we broil during the night.
Yeah, perhaps M.N. and I aren't quite as much BFFs as I might hope. Do you think it would help if I sent her a nice...I don't know...harvest fruit basket? Maybe laced with some lovely...mood stabilizing herbs....or something? Then she just might be willing to entertain a simple, polite request: if it's not too much to ask, ma'am, could we please have some true Autumn conditions for a while...before the Least Favorite Season of Cold and Dark descends upon us? Thanks a bunch. Hope you enjoyed the produce...the flower arrangement is on its way....
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