IT'S FALL Y'ALL

I should have known a change was coming when I saw those bald cypress trees turning the same beautiful shades of red and coral as my big whirligig there. Every summer they start doing that when it's still a very sunny mid-90s, and every summer they scare me to death, for I fear they might be dying. But then, a few weeks later, I remember. I have no idea how they know it's time to turn, when it's still so blazin' hot outside. I guess they just feel it in their toes.

We had the most glorious weekend. Highs were in the mid-70s I think, with a slow, steady rain all - day - long yesterday. May not sound all that chilly to you Yankees and Canadians, but it had me pulling out my fuzzy lap blanket! Of course, it could spike up several more times before it's over with, but for the next few days at least, it's going to be delicious, and I'm gonna savor every single minute of it -- a lot of it curled up on the sofa with that lap blanket and a new/old mystery series I just discovered thanks to Painting Woman, who loaned me the first book in this series by Jacqueline Winspear.

It's called Maisie Dobbs, and not only is it set in England and France in a time that just fascinates me -- that time around WWI when the traditional walls between the "classes" began to fall away, and women finally became something more than chattel -- the main character is a private investigator who is a cross between Precious Ramatswe, Sherlock Holmes, and the Dalai Lama. She doesn't just gather information and hand it over to her clients. She uses meditation and forensic science, and counsels all the parties involved, to help them to see the light - and, occasionally, she even wears trousers! When I was only halfway through the first one, I went online to see if our little library had any more books in this series. Woohoo, they have them all! I put the second one on reserve, and it was ready to be picked up by the time I finished the first.

Anyhoo, by the end of the day yesterday, we had got almost two more inches of rain, which means our tank is very full and happy right now, as are we. When the rain finally slowed to a light mist sometime after supper, I went around gathering up the trash so we could haul it down to the big bin for our weekly pick-up. When I stepped out onto the balcony to empty that can, guess what I saw directly in front of me?

Yep, it was a very good day!