What Happened to Autumn?

Went outside the other morning to retrieve the newspaper and could see my breath; it was that cold (the ambient temperature, not my breath). Walked down to the bank from my office this afternoon; everybody wearing jackets and/or sweaters. I heard a passerby say to her companion, “This is like November!”

Earlier this year we went directly from winter to summer; no spring to speak of. It appears the year is going out the same way; no autumn. I wouldn’t mind, except we’re waiting on the painter who’s supposedly going to paint the house before winter sets in. Doesn’t look like he’s going to have much of an autumn “window” to get it done.

Post California

Two days back in Kansas and we’re both sick. It zonked me yesterday and zonked Becky today. But, small price to pay for last week’s family time in California and getting acquainted with 6 week old grandson Sebastian and re-acquainted with 2-1/2 year old granddaughter Isabelle.

Incredibly, the weather here in Kansas has been exactly the same as we left it in California – beautiful.

I have a whole lot of photos I managed to offload from camera to PC, but have yet to go through them and upload any to Picasaweb, etc. Haven’t even posted anything on Facebook since getting home. That’s partly because I thought I’d post something on the rusty ol’ blog first but, when I loaded it up in the browser, I remembered I’d been wanting to upgrade the theme to allow for widgets and other improvements that have come along since I first launched it. So, I spent a couple evenings re-working the Chappells theme for WordPress, in between sniffles and snorts from whatever bug has got to me. Not sure I’m done with the project, but it’s good enough for now and the widgets are working (left column – probably nobody will even notice a difference).

In Like a Lamb

The old saying about March, “in like a lamb out like a lion, in like a lion out like a lamb” seems to be headed for another affirmation. March rolled in gentle as a lamb this year; ’twas quite spring-like. Now, here we are coasting toward month’s end and the forecast is: cold and snowy.

I recollect from my younger years that it always seemed to snow on my birthday (Mar. 2). During the past couple decades, though, I can’t really say that’s held true. Partly, I just don’t remember the past couple decades as well as my first couple decades.

I also recollect in years past being amused by snow on April 1 which struck me as sort of a mocking if not cruel joke for April Fools’ Day, coming as it does on the heels of the first day of spring.

Getting back to the lion/lamb lamb/lion axiom, I’d have to say that, to the best of my fading recollection, it generally holds true. If it snows on my birthday, it doesn’t snow on April 1; but, if nothing more than a sweater is needed on my birthday, it’ll snow sometime the last week of March, along with a blistery cold wind. If the lion hasn’t roared by Mar. 31, though, it’ll snow on April Fools’ Day.

Sign of old age: More than two sentences talking about the weather.