CHANGE, IT IS A COMING

Fall is the season that always takes me by the most surprise. I never pine for its arrival, and maybe that’s because my mother used to say that she dreaded fall, or because I’ll soon claim an older age, or, most of all, because I’ll have to put away summer sandals.

Fall slips up on us in a way that the other seasons don’t. When winter arrives, we’ve already been in our heavy coats and using the ice scrapers for weeks. When spring comes, most Hoosiers have enjoyed the added daylight during our waking hours for a while, and by the time we call the season summer each June, we’ve been back in sandals and capris since May.

I have been so busy lately that I haven’t much thought about fall’s arrival in a few days. Yesterday morning as I monitored our garage sale from dawn until we closed, I watched a weather show, fall style. The morning started with sweatshirt weather, there were sprinkles, then a drenching rain. There was a dramatic display of clouds, the likes of which I had never seen, and there was heat, mugginess and a beautiful, sunny day.

It was a single day of many seasons. That’s fall. Or maybe that’s just Indiana.

Once we crossed the sale off the to-do list, hauled the leftovers to Goodwill and cleaned up the garage, I decorated our kitchen windowsill for the new season. Under the white-berry wreath I placed three small white pumpkins. I like the simplicity. I took the photo this dark, rainy morning.

I suppose today I should take down the summer wreath from the door and replace it with the big, autumn one with all the fall leaves on it.

By the way, I have four fairly gorgeous Boston ferns that have enjoyed the back porch all summer. I’m not bringing them inside (but might try wintering my beautiful fox-tail fern from the front porch). So before there is a cold snap and the Bostons turn on me, if you want any or all of them, they are yours free. Just let me know you are claiming them.

It’s going to be a busy fall. At the newspaper, I’ve got two magazines to put out: the first is a historic look at our 175 years. The Courier-Times is one of the eight oldest continuously operating newspapers in the state. The second is the fall issue of Her Magazine.

There’s my weekly Bible Study Fellowship, the challenging homework that comes with it and several book-related programs. The Fayette County Library is having an author fair from 10-4 Saturday, Sept. 26, complete with some lively seminars about writing. Come on out if it interests you; it’s free.

Today I’m working on a hometown October program for the Union County Extension Homemakers. I’m looking forward to it and will share more about that as we go on. I got pretty mailbox invitation from the group this week. And I smile, just thinking about it. It is a special privilege to give a program to the hometown crowd.

Thanks, in large part to Brian’s cousin, Beth, for hooking me up with a Hancock County Home Extension club, another program has emerged from that and I’ll be speaking to a New Palestine group on Oct. 5.

And next Friday, I am getting together for lunch with friend and writer Debbie McCray. She has played several roles in my life, starting with Sunday school classmate in 1989, then neighbor and mother of son Ben’s  pal, Andy, to, becoming my friend and editor. Isn’t it amazing how God works? We didn’t even reach the friend or editor statuses until 10 years after the family moved to Ohio. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about Debbie, too.

For now though, I start this Saturday with a feeling of gratitude for a full, interesting life. Thank you, Lord.

And let me be the first, perhaps, to wish you a happy fall. OK, off to get busy!

 

---