Not a moment too soon

There was the merest touch of a chill in the air this morning, not cold by anyone's standards, but cool enough to make South Louisiana a nicer place to be. I'm immensely grateful for a day of relief from months of sweltering heat.

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. The autumn colors of my childhood turned out to be what I'd miss most about Missouri, especially the brilliant red of one particular front-yard maple tree. We don't get colors like that down here. In another month or so, though, subtle, muted shades of red and gold will begin to creep into the green that currently lines our highways. Our Cajun-country leaves will give it their best shot.

For now, I'm content to measure the changing of the seasons by my changing temperament, casting off summer's irritability and embracing the opportunity to breathe cool, fresh air. I love being able to open the windows and let some of that freshness inside. It's also pretty nice to walk the ten steps from the door of my house to my parked car without breaking a sweat.

Even the dogs seem to notice the difference. When I was home for lunch today, Kadi was friskier than I've seen her in months. Tail wagging, she dropped onto her doggy-equivalent of elbows, hind end high in the air, and engaged the tag team of Lucy and Winston in a vigorous wrestling match. Kadi hasn't played with the pups so enthusiastically since last March, when this photo was taken, before the hot weather set in. But today was glorious -- a wrestling kind of a day.