Autumn

This year, fall did not sneak up on me. Last year, it was an instant revelation: When did these trees turn orange and red and gold? When did the air take on this edge? This year I saw it as the leaves turned, not just tree by tree, but leaf by leaf.

Here, fall is a rainy time, but some crisp, clear mornings, all I can think about are high school football games, with waxed paper bags of popcorn, and cocoa in styrofoam cups, reverently held between two gloved hands--those cold nights, huddling over the cup, breathing in the scent of chocolate, breathing out a plume of breath to the sound of plastic helmets and bodies crashing as the crowds cheered and groaned.

If ODU had a football team, I would be tempted to attend a game.

Since I posted last:

I recently came down with a virus that made my temp go up and down. The doctor's verdict? Get rest and lots of fluids. Gee, thanks. I was too out-of-it to grade papers, and my throat was so sore I could only eat soft food. I fell asleep one evening at 5 p.m. and slept the whole night through. Sigh. I cut exercise out of my routine for a while and spent every minute when I wasn't in a classroom in bed. I'm almost all better now.

I'm also excited, because one of my best friends in the world, Rosemari (aka Rosa), has decided to come visit me during Thanksgiving. First she'll visit her friends in D.C. Then her friend Ted will drive Rosa to Norfolk. He let Rose and I stay at his place years ago when I visited L.A. The three of us will have Thankgiving dinner on Thursday, and that weekend we plan to visit Colonial Williamsburg, too. Hooray!