Happy Election Day!

I don't think I'll be watching the election returns tonight. The results won't change if I'm not glued to the television, and I see no point in watching a bunch of talking heads blather on about trends and swings and absentee ballots. It will turn out the way it turns out, and it will be exactly the same news in the end whether I'm tuned in all night or only at the last minute. (Of course, there's that chance that the last minute won't arrive for weeks, or months.) I might watch the Daily Show coverage on Comedy Central, because that will at least be amusing. But if there is to be a civil war, I can wait until the Wednesday morning paper arrives to find out about it.

My greatest hope now is that I don't get exit polled. That can be so painful, especially when it's done by some inexperienced, once-day-in-four-years amateur. Not to mention how embarrassing it can be when they insist on doing it to you in public! I'm so glad that election days don't happen more often.

For those who will need some cheering up, I offer this snippet of news I heard on an early newscast while fetching mom's late-night-snack tray; In the last two years, AOL has lost three million subscribers, and the decline is expected to continue. Civilization may be doomed, but at least there's a good chance that more and more lost souls will be released from AOhelL for a while before everything crashes down around our ears. Let us all be thankful for small victories.

Crunchy

The early and abundant rains of October have left the fields green, providing a pleasant backdrop for November's color. The peach tree by the driveway provides a bright splash of reddish gold, while many of the oaks now sport foliage of yellow gold. Most pleasing are the dogwoods, which have reached that stage when both leaves and berries are at their peak of color, and, depending on the light, the trees are mostly red or mostly maroon, with hints of fuchsia. But the most astonishing sight this year affords is the grass of the vacant house next door. So recently dry and brown, it is now turning the soft green of new growth. It's like having spring and autumn at once. I do like a fall with early rain.

There was a nice accumulation of clouds this afternoon, too, scattered in pale blue sky and catching the afternoon sunlight to fill the west with a silvery glow. The crisp air is autumnal perfection. The entire day has been like taking the first big bite of the first, tangy, sweet, crunchy apple of the season. Even the woodpeckers have been especially playful today, chuckling to one another as they dart from tree to tree. Now, evening is falling, and the clouds are thickening and turning a deep lavender gray. Maybe there will be more rain, whispering in the night.

The last katydids fell silent many days ago, and I didn't even note their passing. It's definitely autumn.