I've always
liked September, from way back in the days when it heralded the start of
another academic year. (Yes, I was...heck, still am...THAT nerd...). I mean,
the allure of back-to-school shopping trips to pick out some fresh
clothes...and supplies...cannot be overstated, amiright? Then there's the
psychological boost of flipping the calendar (if you still have one of
those...which I do...) away from August, which even if it doesn't change the
actual situation in the Great Outdoors, at least makes you feel like
you've put the worst of the Summer swelter in your rearview.
Well, obviously
with the whole "working from home" scenario continuing
indefinitely, there's not a whole lot of reason--or motivation, for that
matter--to update the closet contents. (Hey, I faithfully make sure I'm
rotating through my selection of tee-shirts, so my Zoom-mates don't see the
same one twice in a row...which is as much effort as I can manage right now, to
be honest. And just to be clear, because I know some of you wise guys will jump
to embarrassing conclusions if I don't state this explicitly: OF COURSE I'M
ALWAYS WEARING PANTS, OKAY? "Couture 2020", folks...)
As for the
treasured Staples excursion that both Riley and I await with great
anticipation every year...let's just say we got out of the store in record
time...while spending under $25. Turns out you don't need much when doing the remote
learning thing, so we'll see what happens if and when our district decides
to move the shenanigans back onto campuses. Maybe the fun materials run
is yet to come. (Fingers crossed!)
Fortunately, the
new month did gift us with a break from the blanket of humidity that's
been smothering us in recent...yeah, never mind, it seems like forever. In
typical--amusing yet ridiculous--North Carolina fashion, it went something like
this: weeks without end of full-blast AC running 24-7 abruptly gave way
to about 48 hours of delightfully crisp and cool conditions, in which we
opened all the windows in the house to allow a glorious airing. Then just as
suddenly, both the overnight temps and daytime highs dropped to the
point that we had to close everything back up, lest it get too COLD in the
house.
And that's
where we are now, hovering in that awkward zone between "I'm a little
chilly; I'm gonna put on a long-sleeved shirt" (yay!) and "I
absolutely refuse to turn the freakin' HEAT on, so we'd better make sure it
stays above 68 in here." Holy weather whiplash, Batman...yeeeaaaah,
who am I trying to kid--this is totally normal for us. Eh, at least we
haven't had a hurricane yet! (She says facetiously, since we're under a
Flash Flood warning for the next several days, as the remnants of Sally may
dump 3-6 inches of rain on us. Yippee...)
Realistically,
I suppose Fall can't be expected to be 100% delightful; for example
there's the decidedly unpleasant-but-necessary aspect of the annual flu shot
to consider. For me this comes with an added wrinkle: the odd sensitivity to
eggs I appear to have developed in recent years forces me to seek out the chicken-product-less
version, which isn't automatically stocked by all providers. I got lucky
for a couple of cycles with Harris Teeter, of all places, but this time when I
asked they'd run out. However, CVS, which has never previously offered
it, apparently did an about-face and is carrying it for 2020.
Anyway, the
chatty pharmacy technician who administered my vaccine--I think he felt bad
that I had to wait a while for the contents to "warm up"--took the
time to explain that it would actually be better if everyone just got
the "recombinant" option, because it doesn't cause the reactions that
the one grown in a petri dish does. "But,", he sighed, "it all
comes down to money, probably, and this one is more expensive to produce."
Huh. Immunity boost PLUS a side of unexpected education?
Definitely a win/win...even with the sore arm!
Finally, Team
WestEnders enjoyed one tiny shred of return to normalcy this past weekend, with
the kickoff (Ha! Sorry…) of college football--in its pandemic format,
anyway. While I do realize the whole endeavor is fraught with peril, and
could go about 75 different kinds of wrong...I'm not gonna lie, it was
fabulous to be able to hunker down on the sofa and watch some of the gridiron
goings-on. Husband, Riley, and I even tuned into some of the Clemson game
together, since it aired during primetime. Family bonding over sports? Yep,
that sounds like us...
So we're heading toward the actual Equinox next week—whattya say we keep this seasonal party rolling with some traditional Autumn entertainment. Apple picking? Corn maze? Bonfire? I'm not sure where to find these around here...and it's too soon for pumpkin patches or leaf-peeping just yet in the Piedmont. Perhaps for now we'll just have to stick with the customary favorite: pumpkin spice flavored coffee. (Eh, even if it's iced, at this point, I'll take it...) Happy (early) Fall, y'all!
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