The Autumn Leaves

Overnight it is Autumn.

Yesterday we had that beautiful sunny, warm day -- but not too warm -- and this morning I woke up and it is fall.

Overnight the wind has blown small hillocks of leaves onto the ground that crunch when you walk from the house to the car.  There will be a lot of sweeping to be done in the coming days/weeks, as our fruitless mulberry denudes itself slowly.

I haven't noticed a lot of fall color yet, but soon my favorite Chinese pistachio tree, a couple of blocks from our house, should be bursting into a riot of red leaves before it, too, turns brown and loses its leaves.

I think fall is my favorite season.  It would hands down be my favorite if we lived somewhere that gave us the kinds of displays of fall color that are seen on the wallpaper for this month's entries, but I love the departure of the hot weather and the breezes coming in again.  And best of all, when Autumn passes, what arrives is winter with its rainy weather.  While spring is beautiful, it is followed by summer and the hot days again.

I sat in the book store this afternoon and looked toward the open door and saw two chunks of something on the rug.  I thought something had fallen off a shelf and broken (probably because I have no depth perception!) and couldn't remember hearing anything drop.  But when I got up to check, it was two leaves that had blown in from outside.

Peter had left the door open when he went home today and as it was not letting in hot air, as it has for so many weeks, but merely fresh air, I didn't shut it.  There is a tree right outside the door which has already lost a lot of its leaves and each time the wind blew, apparently it was blowing leaves and bits of leaves inside the store.

When I left at the end of the day, it was downright chilly and I was sorry that I hadn't brought some sort of jacket or sweater with me!

Today I had lunch with my friend Kathy in Sacramento and wondered if I'd be able to get back to Davis in time for my shift at Logos at 2.  Worked out perfectly.  I even had time to stop off at home and get Walt to drive me downtown.

Kathy and I bemoaned Obama's performance at the first debate and shared our hopes for a better showing by Biden in this evening's debate.  She and I have lunch together on the third Thursday of each month and agreed that next month we will either be having a celebration (we strongly hope) or be consoling each other.

It was a fairly quiet day at the store, with a couple of highlights, the best of which were two college age girls who came in and were fairly ecstatic about all the things they were finding.  One squealed when she came across a copy of Homer's "The Odyssey" and said that she collects copies of "The Odyssey."  She ended up buying a copy of "The Odyssey," and introduction to Chaucer, and two "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" books!   I loved that.

The other girl positively jumped in delight when she found a copy of Oscar Wild's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." She said that she would have to bring her sister into the store and that they would probably "buy out the store."   It is really very comforting to realize that a love for reading is alive and well among the young people who visit the store!

Another woman came in looking for books about New Orleans and the Appalachian Trail.  We actually didn't have either, but I suggested Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," which I thought she would enjoy.  I love it when I can give advice on a book or introduce a book to someone.

Susan relieved me a little early so Walt and I could get home in time for the Vice Presidential debate, which I thought was very good.  I think both Republicans and Democrats would feel good about it, though I don't see it changing anybody's mind about anything.  The two sides are so different that it should be a clear choice for people.  But it was good to see Biden looking so strong in the debate.

In the end, Walt and I decided we both wanted to vote for moderator Martha Raddatz!