Musings On A Blustery Day

I actually ventured out today, for more than just a quick meal. That is not to say that I am entirely back in the groove, but it is a vast improvement to just sitting about the house with heating pads on my back and pharmaceuticals on board (the legal kind, thank you very much.)

The cotton ball forms of Cumulus clouds raced overhead as I wound my way down our small town's main street, and I couldn't help but be fascinated by the patterns of light and shadow the traveled almost at the same speed as I. The sun guided the vehicles in front of me, opening its arms wide to embrace us all as we speed along our way. Trees and lawns, grown lush from our recent rains, shifted their hues of green as the filtered light gave way to brilliant sunshine, only to fall back into a brooding shade moments later. The air was warm, but the breeze lent a nip to it, praying with the brims of old ladies' Sunday hats, and rippling the decorative fall and Halloween flags festooning the porches of the quaint homes along the street.

The wind breaks in gusts upon the sides of our home as I write this, and its whispered keen is a pleasure to my ears. Our window sashes are thrown wide to better capture the last moments of summer air and chase away any remaining stale scents trapped within the house itself. I find myself shivering now and then as a particularly strong gust whips through, and the lace curtains in the bathroom can be heard snapping from all the way down the hall. On occasion, a door will slam as if some temperamental ghost roamed the halls, and the dogs will bolt for cover under the bed or to the furthest corner of the room in frantic anticipation of Better Half or me coming over to investigate the phenomenon that has sparked their fears. Had this been Colordo, we would expect to hear high wind warnings (or, as we think of them, "Small Dog Warnings") broadcast on the television or radio.

Today will be an excellent day for taking refuge in my favorite chair, my cashmere throw wrapping my legs in comfort as I sip hot tea and delve into a good novel. Later, I'll curl up in a warm bed, the thick comforter pulled snugly around me, and the window will be cracked just enough to hear the serenade of frogs and crickets.

On a totally separate note - those of you who find history interesting:
Today is the anniversary of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In 1960, this aircraft carrier, (the first nuclear powered one!) was launched at Newport News, VA. Going back almost one hundred years from then, today is also the anniversary of Black Friday (1869), in which thousands of businessmen were ruined in the Wall Street catastrophe caused when financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the market in gold. Three years earlier, in 1896, F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minn... he is best known for The Great Gatsby, but also wrote This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned. And, in more modern times, Dr. Suess (Theodore Suess Geisel) died in La Jolla, CA, in 1991.

Nothing gets me as pensive as a blustery day.