The Dog Days of October

I'm gonna paint you a picture here: There's a warm, gentle breeze outside with temperatures of roughly 78 degrees in the shade (and well into the 80's in direct sunlight). When we're not sitting inside, wearing shorts and tank tops with the AC on, we're trying to stay cool outside while we're enjoying the brilliant shining sun, clear blue skies, and fall leaves crunching under our feet. What? Fall leaves? Yes, you read that right. The leaves have turned a golden brown and are forming piles on the lawn and the sun is fully set by 7:30pm. Why? Because it's October, and not in Florida, in Ohio! Football season's been in full swing for over a month now and if it were any other year, we'd be wearing jackets, sipping warm apple cider, and shopping for Halloween costumes. But, it still feels like August outisde.
Can't say I'm complaining. I love warm summer weather. But, when it's this late in the year it kinda freaks me out. It's not every day you see people raking their lawns and carving jack-o-lanterns in cutoffs and bikini tops. (At least, not here it isn't.) It kinda reminds me of that one January day back when I was in college. We'd gotten a typical middle-of-winter snowstorm that left piles of snow and ice all over the ground. But what followed it was a warm front with temperatures in the 50's. So, before the snow had time to melt, you saw people walking around campus in sunglasses and short-sleeved shirts with their jackets tied around their waists. If you've never seen that before, it kinda messes with your head a little. I find these kinda of things as fascinating as they are ironic. I guess you could say I'm the type of person who appreciates all the little idiosyncracies in my surroundings.

But, enough about the weather already. I got a new job that I'll be starting sometime soon. And what's really great about that is that, for the first time in 3 years, I'll have health insurance again! Yippee! I can go out and get hit by a truck and not have to pay for any of it anymore! In the interim, I've been enjoying my little bit of time off. Sleeping in late, going shopping in the middle of the day, taking Kirby for walks in this wonderful summer-like weather. It's been a much-needed vacation and I intend to enjoy it while it lasts. So, I think I'll wait to get hit by a truck when it's cold again. Ha! Oh, and FYI: I love football season! Go, Patriots!!