October 1

Whoa, what happened here? It's the first day of October and the air has a touch of Fall in it ! Where did summer go? Or spring, for that matter. A Facebook friend reminded everyone that "the Holidays are almost here." Oh my goodness, she could have gone a long time without saying that !

You know what they say: Life is like a roll of toilet tissue. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

September, with the 19 days of rain for the first 24, actually turned off better than expected. The last several days were gorgeous - and everyone breathed sighs of relief to be out from under those gray water-laden clouds. Hubby had his 81st birthday with a nice dinner at O'Charley's with our daughter and my sister.

Now it's my turn. Would you believe it's #79? (I have a hard time with that myself!) In the past, we have combined our parties by having one family gathering sometime between his birthday and mine - which are about 3 weeks apart. It's not gonna happen this year. Everyone is too overbooked and overwhelmed with activities and responsibilities. Maybe we'll just 'recognize' the events when the family DOES gather here for our Traditional Thanksgiving dinner. (That is, assuming everybody can make it.)

When I was growing up, Mother always said that she could have my birthday party outdoors on the 16th of October, but the next day it would rain and turn cold. That theory has held true more years than not. But this year's crazy convoluted weather pattern may make the 'approach of Fall' totally unpredictable. Already the cool nights have spurred the annual hunt for electric blankets and turning on a little heat. That's crazy too, since the days are still almost warm enough to need air conditioning . Son-in-law Bill's birthday comes before mine this month. He's 20 years younger than my hubby, which makes it easy to remember which milestone he's celebrating.

Next up in November is a grandson's 19th, and #2 Son's milestone birthday. That is unreal, since it was just the other day that this son was graduating from High School. Tempus Fugits around here faster than the law allows. November is also our wedding anniversary month!

Back to today, in addition to balancing my checkbook (a duty that I shirk with a vengeance ) today is the Friends members-only PreSale at the Fall Book Sale. I'll be enjoying the position of cashier again this evening. I'm going early to snap some pictures of the Volunteers who give so much of their time and dedication to make our Friends Book Sales succeed every time.