Approach

The air grew energetic for a while last night, but fell still again today. Most of the leaves retained their grip on the trees, too, but it will soon grow tenuous. Tonight I'm celebrating autumn's approach with pears. They are uncommonly tasty this year, compensating for summer's mostly disappointing peaches. When the fall apples come in there will be fruit salads with pears and bananas and celery, and maybe a few of the walnuts that are now falling from my tree— if the squirrels don't snag them all first.

Portia is coming in from her nightly jaunts with nettles in her fur. She doesn't pick up as many as Alger does, but her fur is longer and the nettles bury themselves deep, making them difficult to comb out. She doesn't like being combed, either, so I usually end up with a few kitty scratches, along with a few tiny nettle thorns stuck in my hands. I'll be glad when the rains come and wash those nasty little plants clean of their weapons.

Wednesday is expected to stay below 70 degrees all day, and it could drop into the high 40s that night. I'll be making the first hot chocolate of fall, and it isn't even fall yet. Oh, and cinnamon toast. There must be cinnamon toast with the first hot chocolate.

Mmmm, the pearness of the pears, the Septemberness of the September night.