Maybe I Should be Posting Here, Once a Season

The only thing I have to say in defense for my absence on the blogosphere...if I can't even keep a cactus alive in the DESERT (refer to Exhibit A below), how on earth am I supposed to keep this thing going?



















So, right around the first of October, a really remarkable thing happened.

The weather turned.

I know that's not big news to those of you who live in a place where there are four distinct seasons (as opposed to greater and lesser rings of Hell), but to us, this is actually amazing--the weather actually noticed what season it was and obliged!

What ensued was this: several days of high temperatures being in the high seventies, a gentle cool breeze, and...wait for it...rain.

Like, the wet stuff that falls from the skies. There was even thunder!

Of course, this freakish phenomenon passed soon enough; currently, on this 10th day of October, it's forecasted to hit a toasty 97 degrees. So there's no crisp, cool autumn days, no need for a fire on the hearth, no desire for mulled wine or toasted punkin seeds...and of course, no expectation of it. And even though our bout with autumn has passed, I have gotten into the mood. This is, after all, my favorite time of the year...even now, when I am currently being burnt into a crispy pile of dust. I still love this time of year, even now.

This has manifested itself in two different ways: I've tried to decorate a little for the autumn...

Yes, a few plastic punkins and fake leaves clear means AUTUMN in Chez Desert. (And no, that round orange thing on the couch is not a punkin. That's one of our kitties, Miss Magdalene.)

The other thing that has happened as a result of this brief season is that I am starting to think beyond fall and focus on my absolute very best most favorite holiday--Christmas! In addition to it being my very first married Christmas, my eldest sister will be visiting. So it's going to be a lovely holiday, and I'm already plotting away.

(Whether or not any of these plots or plans come to fruition is completely beside the point!)

So here's to punkins, and cooler weather, and surviving another Palm Springs summer, and to producing a Christmas that will go down in memory...in a good way!