Along side the sights of the yellow school buses, the fanaticism of Husker Nation, the grand corporate events...Cycling Challenge & the Corporate Cup 10k, today I saw the first real sign that autumn is officially here: the pink-tinted leaves on the top of this tree
in my neighborhood.
It's the beginning of the change and it's all around us now.
How can this be? It was so incredibly hot just a couple of weeks ago, and last week really wasn't much of a reprieve. And yet, the trees are starting to go dormant.
I've been in denial about this for some time now. Back in the early August, on a 95 degree day with a heat index of 108, I took the picture below of an empty swimming pool with dead leaves already in the corner. The juxtaposition of this sight against the backdrop of an oppressively sweltering day caused me to pause during a long run. As I collected my breath and snapped this picture, I wondered: where did the time go?
I could quote Othello, but Fred already beat me to the punch; somebody please help him with this. I considered drawing metaphors to my undeniably thinning hair and the aging process, but that's too depressing & self indulgent.
The truth is that summer is waning while Autumn is set to charge forth. The days are growing shorter & colder, pigskin's dominating the boob-tube, and my boss is preparing to chase me down to give freely to the United Way Campaign at the office. (Side note: giving to charities is good; mandatory "voluntary" participation is in bad taste)
I'm not going to sugarcoat/gin-soak this. This change simply sucks.
It's been a terrific summer of long rides & runs, swims and races. I've enjoyed it way too much. Thanks to all of you who contributed to these times. Indeed, the memories are wonderful; I just wish I had more.
So there it is. Fall is here, summer is no more.
Uh, yeah...Go Team!
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
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Let's pick up the story in roughly the middle of the action.
... Goldilocks first sampled Papa Bear's porridge, "Holy shit, that's hot,"
she cried, toss...
2 years ago
On the United Way "compulsory voluntary donation thing", I think you can just say, "Oh I give to the FFEG," and the boss is then required to nod in approval, quietly say "Oh," and gently walk away. At least that's what I heard. Or you could just donate and look at it as a raffle. Last year, I won the rocket fisherman. Now I can cast up to 20, 30 feet. No more hooks lodged securely in the skulls of innocent bystanders (unless they're standing within 30 feet, that is).
ReplyDeleteNote to the fine folks fighting the good fight at the I.R.S.: I'll disclose at this point that I did not really win the rocket fisherman. That was not to be taken literally.