Saturday, October 29, 2016

Fall? Really?



          "Record or near-record warm temperatures."

           That has been what we have been repeatedly hearing from our weather prognosticators here in middle Tennessee.

           We have had maybe a few days with highs in the 70s, or a tad below, since the official beginning of fall September 21st.  But for the most part, our fall has been more like a mild summer, with highs in the low to mid 80s, pushing 90 degrees some days. It has also been extremely dry. We need rain in the worst way.

           People try. They have put mums and pumpkins on their porches and they even wear sweaters.

           They drink pumpkin-spice lattes, apple cider and Oktoberfest beer, and some are even building fires in their fireplaces.

            But the reality is it's still really, really warm. We are running our air conditioner at our house and I'm still wearing shorts. I can't make it cool just because I want it to be.

             The mornings are very nice, cool and crisp, and are really the only indication that it is fall rather than summer. But other than that, you could have fooled me.

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            It has been a busy fall season (according to the calendar) for Wife and me. She arrived back from Paris a week ago Friday, and I met her in Atlanta that afternoon. We stayed at Older Son's and DIL's home that Friday night, although they were in Dallas for a wedding.

              Younger Son had been working in Florida the previous week, and flew into Atlanta Saturday morning. We picked him up and headed for Auburn for the Auburn-Arkansas football game, and met Daughter and SIL there. This is the fist time we had seen Younger Son since his relocation to Indiana in August, and it was very good to see him and be with him. We brought him home with us on Sunday and he stayed here until Wednesday.

               Wife is gone again this weekend, helping host a wedding shower in Little Rock for the daughter of longtime friends, and also spending some time with her parents. I spent the morning at a board meeting for the non-profit where I serve, and then stuck around to serve lunch to the homeless men. It's always a good experience to get a glimpse of the clientele and remind me why it is so worthwhile to give my time and resources to this organization.

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               This Monday is Halloween, and Wife and I will stay home and answer the door for the trick-or-treaters. We might be inviting some of them to come inside to get cool! (High Monday is to be 85).

             


           



4 comments:

Kelly said...

We are having the exact same kind of weather, Bob, and are currently under a burn ban. The only indication of fall is the slant of light these days and the falling of leaves (probably from drought rather than the season!). One plus is that we've been able to get out and fish quite a few times this month. It's cool enough (relatively speaking) not to be miserable, yet not so cold that the fish have quit biting. We've had great success with both Bass and Crappie.

I am not a football fan by any stretch of the imagination and have always had a mental block against the Razorbacks, but still... I understand that one was painful for AR fans!

Bob said...

Yes Kelly, it was, and given my roots, it is difficult for me when Auburn plays Arkansas. But as I often say, Auburn didn't purchase my allegiance; I purchased it from them!

The forecast for this coming week is more of the same. We need the rain more than the cooler temperatures.

I caught a few crappie a couple of weeks ago but have not had the success (or frequency) you have. But always glad to get out when I can.

Ed said...

I am missing fall because I really love the cooler weather where is just gets up to comfortable shirt sleeve weather by early afternoon. It's my favorite season and I'm afraid its going straight into freezing weather from the late summer weather we've been getting. The one plus though is that although dry now, we had adequate rain all summer so there isn't really a drought going on here. Hope you get some early winter rains to prepare you for next year.

Speaking of fishing, now that farm work is just about wrapped up, I'm been hankering to get a day on the farm ponds with my family. I hope we can get that worked in before winter gets here!

Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly) said...

Same thing here, although that's the norm for us. Summer lasts sometimes through November here. I usually watch the news and see it fall everywhere else except for here. This year though, it seems to still be summer in a lot of places. As I always say, Halloween just isn't Halloween when you're sweating in your costume!
Fall was my favorite season when I lived in New England, as it's such a beautiful time of year with all the colors. I hope it doesn't elude you (or me) for too long.