The Countdown Starts

Don't you want to just squeeze this?!

It’s a cold, rainy day. It’s glorious. It is the opposite of a scalding hot, can’t-think-because-it-will-make-me-sweat, summer day. And I am loving it. I snuggled in the wee hours of the dark morning with a baby-in-a-bag, whispering lovies in her tiny shell-pink ears and snuffling her soft almost-gone hair. Then we got dressed quickly in the chilly nursery, giggling nonsense to ‘hurry, hurry, it’s COLD!’ that was very funny to Jelly. Wrapped in fuzzy pink fleece, she kicked and babbled in the kitchen while I made a nice hot cup of Lady Grey, and together we woke up Suki (my laptop), to watch online videos of Princess Chunks. She laughs every time the funny baby in the video laughs, it’s the best entertainment around.

For lunch I made steamy hot creamy tomato-basil soup and perfect OCD grilled cheese for me and Nanny. Yes, you read that right – grilled cheese is another victim to my arbitrary rules. The bread must be pre-treated in warm melty butter before it is cooked, and you have to use AT LEAST 1 ½ Kraft Singles (no other cheese, EVER, I don’t go in for those hippie foccacia-and-gruyere bastardizations), and, of course, the sandwich must be sliced into gooey triangles. It totally hit the spot washed down with a tall cool glass of grape Kool-Aid.

I’m wearing fuzzy pink socks from Aunt Bev. And a fuzzy pink hoodie sweatshirt. And I did more work in the first 2 hours of the day than I have all week. It’s weird, because I remember the cold weather seasons as being the times that were hardest to get out of bed, most difficult to stay awake for. Not so. I slept a little better, and have energy to think about cooking Grandma’s stew or Cincinnati chili for dinner, and am eagerly anticipating getting my hands on that soft warm baby again for some evening TV and hot chocolate. Last night we rocked on the porch for a bottle feeding and heard the geese pass overhead, and I told her, ‘Listen, they’re Canadians, like you!’

I just may be a Northerner.

October is almost here, and that means the Fair, and the Harvest Festival, and Halloween. It means 9 million varieties of apples at the Farmer’s Market, all available for tasting for people like me who have to have their apples crispy and sweet-sharp, perfect for frying with onions and bratwurst or slicing into golden pies or nibbling with mild cheddar. October means Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and family and turkey. And putting up The Christmas Tree.

Just 3 months from today. Happy September 25!