Little bits of nothing

Fall has come to Texas.

By fall I mean that temperatures are below 75, with the nights down in the 40s. It is really lovely. And I am just crazy enough that I actually wish it were colder.

I like warm weather - truly, I do. I love swimning, the beach, summer dresses with sandals. But I love warm weather when it's appropriate. And being one who grew up in the Midwest, with four distinct seasons, I want fall. And winter. When we moved here, I thought I would relish the warmer temperatures - I was thrilled to leave the cold and snow behind.

And now? I realize that I actually miss the change, that i do not want to wear sandals in November, capris in December. Chalk it up to lessons learned.

I had to smile the other day. It was mid-60s, and I saw a woman at Target wearing capris and flip flops, another wearing a turtleneck and boots. Another guy had on a parka - ! Gotta love the Texan reaction to the "cold."

The weekend has been somewhat less productive than I might have liked. Gary came home, so I once again have a co-parent (handy when Alison called at 3.15 am that she was home from Fort Worth and needed someone to pick her up at school). Maddie decided she wanted to see Psycho, and as it was the one weekend of the year when it was not on cable - naturally - we cashed in a video rental coupon in order to enjoy some classic Hitchcock, complete with a "Making of ..." documentary (I love those) and the theatrical trailer. It remains one of the scariest movies I have ever seen - even when I know what is coming. I love it.

Bought new black boots to replace the ones I bought several years ago that have officially worn out. I've been looking for years (I am very picky regarding heel height and style, and while I can always find the characteristics I seek, I am not always willing to pay the requested price). Last year, I found the perfect pair, but I opted to buy them in brown, as my brown boots were hurting my feet (they were clearly purchased before one of the girls was born). I didn't particularly want the same boots in two different colors, so I waited. Now, out of absolute necessity, I made the black purchase. And they are stunning.

By this point I would imagine you are regretting logging on to read this - who finds the minutiae of others' shoe shopping even remotely interesting?

But it gets better: We went to a party last night with great live music. But we had the two younger girls with us, and they were "too tired" by 10 pm. (read: bored) so we had to leave. Made a mental note next time to leave them at home.

Made my shopping list and to-do list for the week, in order to get ready for Thanksgiving here on Thursday. Not a huge crowd - just us and the grandparents - but I do enjoy hosting. I love to cook for this holiday - I have a fantastic set of recipes from a class Helen and I took. The best part? It can all be made ahead of time. So I'll be busy the next couple of days, cooking in advance to that Thursday morning is not a frenzied mess. I only make the pie on Thursday (and the turkey, of course) - everything else is done early.

But I will have to clean off the desk in the office - slash - guest room, which is piled high with my works-in-progress. A semblence of tidiness will be in order.

This, sadly, is my entire list of accomplishments for the weekend. There is much more I could have, should have, done. But I no longer beat myself up about these thngs. Life is short, and some days, it's OK to just take it easy, watch Missouri football on TV, watch a movie with the kids or play Yahtzee (all of which we did). We all enjoy life in different ways; sometimes, a little enjoyement is worth a lot.