Falling for Change

Today's weather was cold and rainy, making me feel like grabbing a sweater and a cup of hot tea. Instead Deb and I began overhauling the house, cleaning out closets and generally making room in our apartment for some real adult living. We've been using our spare room for storage and a kitty haven, where Betty can have her food and litter away from the dog. We kept my full-sized bed in the room to give guests a place to sleep should the need arrive.

Today Deb and I decided that the bed was really nothing more than a giant waste of space and a huge dust collector. We figured that we would buy an air mattress for out of town visitors and inebriated party-ers. So we strapped the mattress and box spring on top of the trusty old Subaru and donated the whole shebang to our good friend Beth, who was in desperate need of a big girl bed. And now we're in the process of converting the room into an office, a yoga space and a kitty retreat. I'm so excited-- finally we'll be able to use this room!

And it's not just the cleaning and the chilly temperatures that are making me really feel the change of the season-- the children are back in school and the leaves are beginning to drop. Both of these things are really noticeable during my morning walks with Hyde. The kids are both fearful and fascinated by Hyde. He enjoys all the attention, but gets nervous if there's too much shrieking or running. We're working on staying focused during the morning school rush.

Hyde is especially intrigued by the piles of leaves suddenly accumulating on the sidewalks-- I believe that this is his first experience with fall. He was raised and raced in Florida, so all of this foliage on the ground makes for some fascinating sniffing. He also really enjoys pooping on piles of leaves... can't say I know what that's about. It does make clean-up easier, though, so I'm all for it.

I'm not much of a fall girl-- to me, it means winter is soon to come and there's nothing I hate more than cold, dark winter. But this fall feels exhilarating. Feels like a new beginning. And Hyde, Deb and I are enjoying every minute of it.