Share Your World – October 24, 2022

The cozy warmth of autumn has been sliding day by day into that other season I dare not mention. I really hoped we’d get a few more weeks, but not this year. Sometimes we get an autumn that lasts almost all the way through November.

One year, when Garry and I were living in downtown Boston, on a lovely autumnal day, we walked the half mile from home to our favorite local pub. It was in the mid-70s when we left home. We got to the pub around noon and settled down for lunch and the casual chatter in which one indulges in local pubs.

A couple of hours later, we left the pub. The temperature had dropped from the mid-70s (23C) into the mid-30s (1.7C). We hadn’t driven to the pub, so there was only one way to get home. We ran all the way.

These kind of very sharp, abrupt temperature drops are not unusual in this part of New England. Maybe it’s because we are so near the ocean. Maybe it’s something else, but we all watch the weather as if it were a major sporting event. You just never know what’s coming until it gets here.

And now, the questions.

How organised are you? Do you plan ahead, take things as they come, or does it depend on the circumstances?

Mostly, it depends on the circumstances. If it’s a medical issue, there has to be some serious planning to make sure that there will be someone to drive to the hospital and back and someone who can take care of someone when the get home. Preferably, someone who can cook!

How many Christmas presents have you bought already?

None. We (mostly) don’t give gifts. The few we give are either tokens or are for our granddaughter. Sometimes it’s something my son needs like a new winter coat, boots, and other costly necessities.

Otherwise? Garry and I have what we need. Really, we have more than we need and have no room for more. We replace stuff that wears out or is too big. Lately, I’ve been replacing clothing that’s gotten much too big, but I buy as little as possible. I don’t need a lot.

Do you prefer a family gathering for special occasions, or just you and your significant other?

We don’t have local friends anymore. The ones we had died and the rest are too far away, so it’s pretty much always Garry and I, plus Owen and his partner, and with luck the granddaughter and her mom.

How many words do you think your pet understands?

The Duke is smart. He understand a lot. I would say at least 100. He is surprisingly smart — when he chooses to be. Dogs develop selective deafness.

Categories: #FallFoliage, #Photography, #SYW, Anecdote, Holidays, Share My World

Tags: #Photography, #ShareYourWorld, #SYW, humor, Marilyn Armstrong