September days

The wind shifted last night. The door to the guest bedroom rattled in a different way this morning. I could fix the latch, but it has become a barometer of sorts. An unreliable barometer, it turns out.

I thought I would be faced with a sharply colder wind when I went walking on the green this morning, but instead the breeze, though steady, was almost warm. This was a surprise because the air has been distinctly autumnal this week. It feels as though we have been granted a small reprieve.

September has been a busy month. The garage/office project is in its final stages. It isn’t quite complete, but we are having a party anyway.

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to Miami for a business conference. Our time there coincided with a near-miss by Tropical Storm Rita. The winds were high and the rains heavy, and that’s about as near as I would like to come to that particular kind of weather.

We had our first rehearsal for the Christmas Revels this week. Hold onto your hats, we’re goin’ to Russia and Eastern Europe this year. The first song we sang was the Ukrainian “Carol of the Bells,” which is so very pretty. I think they were just softening us up before hitting us with the heavy-duty Georgian stuff. So it begins — September 26th and we’re singing Christmas music.

Leaf season has barely begun. It’s late this year and I suspect it will be lackluster. The summer was unusually dry and that is often blamed for dull colors. I don’t know the science behind it all, but as I type, I can see partially brown leaves drifting by the window. We will be traveling again during what should be the peak season. When we made our plans, I was a little sad to think I would miss it. Now it seems it may miss us.

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Dave’s mom called yesterday to wish him happy birthday. He was out so I got to talk with her for a while. We talked about what a great bunch of kids she raised and I got to hear a little about what was cool about each of them.

She told me that everyone always liked Dave. Even when he was little, if he left their yard, he always came back with two new friends.

He’s still just the same. He’s friendly and interested in everyone he meets. And he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.

So, happy birthday, honey. May all your dreams come true.

Secret Window

Triangle Window

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about how well the new garage blends in with the house. What the average passerby doesn’t know is that there is a secret triangle window on the side of the new building that overlooks the courtyard in the back. It is a companion piece to the original triangle window in our sitting room. We couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out.

Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man