Chillin'

As I write this it is 8:37 a.m. and 38 degrees, heading for a high of 61. When I looked out this morning, if we had pumpkins, there would have been frost on them. There was frost on other stuff. The predicted low for last night was 30. Not a hard frost, no limp and blackened plants yet.

But summer is a-going out. We will have some more warm days and Indian summer is a glorious time in the midwest. A bit of color is showing in some trees already, and by mid-October it is usually spectacular. (Although we don't have the sugar maples to produce the reds one sees in New England. Hint to the Brooklyn Branch: Do a foliage drive up into the Adirondacks if you get a chance when the colors are peaking. Texas has nothing like it.)

So we come to the time of year when, instead of keeping blinds closed to keep out the sun and keep in the cool, we open the blinds to take advantage of solar heat. The house is positioned to take advantage of the sun, with over-sized windows. It makes for a warm and bright feel at least.

Despite the chill, today is sunny and there should be a big crowd at Wo Zha Wa. We are heading in early to look over the flea market and other stuff while it is still possible to find a parking place within ten blocks of the activity. The parade isn't until Sunday afternoon, but we are doing the other stuff today because Tom heads to Chicago tomorrow to see some of his kids, check out Rebecca and David's new place and have dinner with his former in-laws (he calls them "ex-laws"). The Anastaplos have a Sunday night dinner tradition of gathering at George and Sarah's, along with whoever knew what other guests would appear. When I was living in Hyde Park, it was frequently part of my Sunday agenda. George (who is about Daddy's age) was almost always working on a talk or a new book, and he would introduce the strangest topics at times for dinner conversation. The first time I went, he had me sit next to him so he could talk about science and religion. I felt a bit like I was taking an oral exam. He is a law professor, after all. Only later did I learn that he was pumping me for ideas for a conference he was preparing.

Well, off to Wo Zha Wa. I have made my bed and Cassidy has already taken possession for the day. At some point, Sundance will sneak in and they will share it because my room gets the sun at this time of year.

Details at eleven...

[One of my friends has a signature line on his emails that says, "World ends at 9:00. Details at 11:00!" (Hi, Karl! How was your second brush with a Texas hurricane?)]