How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
I love the change to cooler weather. (Ok, this summer has officially been the coolest around here since 1980, but for someone who actually ENJOYS the coolness, it was AWESOME. And now back to our regularly scheduled fall love fest...)
I love the start of school. What's not to love? I get to meet my new students in their new haircuts and new school clothes and new school shoes. All the classroom ideas that have been cooking in my brain since March get to be tried and refined and played with until they are either perfected or rejected. It's like a big puzzle. Every time I fit a piece into place, the endorphins in my brain commence firing. It's a huge rush. Yeah, I'm a geek. And then there's the school supplies aisles at WalMart. Oh. Hold me back. Seriously- have you ever seen so many cool pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, protractors, paper, organizers and binders? How did I ever manage in grade school with just a few Pee Chees?
(My teaching space in my classroom. That timer is so cool.)
I love the start of school for Abby. She is learning to geek out on all the stuff as well, so we are making it a tradition. She gets a new teacher, new classroom, and new things to learn, and I get to help her with her math and book reports and memory verses. I could be a student forever.
I love the rain. What a great excuse to just stay home and cozy up with a good book... "I'm sorry, I can't come out to play, it's raining."
I love the NFL. I don't love the commercials, so I mute them, but I do love a good football game on a Sunday afternoon while I'm doing the laundry and thinking about a nap. I also mute the TV when Al Michaels is announcing. He is probably a nice guy in real life, but his nasal voice and inability to pronounce "New Orleans" just drives me nuts. Unfortunately, the teams I follow all lost this weekend, and the Steelers (Steal-ers) won. Ick.
I love the trees. We have a nice variety of leaf colors around here- from translucent yellows to the orange, red and standard brown of fall. Mixed with the evergreens, they are beautiful. Contrasted against a bright blue October sky, they can make your eyes ache.
I love the dark. I'm a troll. My favorite two days of the year are the day we set our clocks back, and December 21st because it has the most hours of darkness. Again- a good excuse to stay home and do crafts.
I love the thought that maybe, just maybe, we will see snow this winter. Doesn't happen every year, so when it does occur, it is special. It is so special that I make snowballs and save them in my freezer. One each year that we have snow. There are 4 in my freezer right now. They aren't taking up much space, and they are helping to keep it cooler, you know, in case we not only get snow, but also ice and power outages. The snow in my freezer should keep my frozen items cold for at least 12 minutes longer than if they weren't in there. Every minute counts, people, every minute counts.
I love the prelude to Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Of course, I agree, Christmas is too commercial. It's not about all the trappings and presents and lights... ) The thing is... humming along with the carols at the store in October just makes me smile and think about what is to come...
