Life's little pleasures

We're having another mid-70's day with low humidity. After living in Virginia for 23 years, I know not to be fooled; balmy weather is probably just around the corner , waiting to rear its head and tease us until mid-October or so.

I'll take what I can get though--today, all the windows in the house are wide open, allowing a playful breeze to enter and fill the air with an unmistakable freshness. As I fold my laundry by the screen door, I hear children playing gleefully, and chickadees chirping and squabbling over the last crumbs of bread mom left outside. Even my parrots seem to sense the change; they are unusually quiet, cocking their little heads to the side, taking in the simple pleasures of a crisp, early fall day.

The fact that I have missed this time of year for two years now probably plays into my heightened enjoyment, but I'll take that as a blessing. It's two weeks until the end of September--time is fleeting, and sooner than I expect, I'll be lamenting over the short days, the wet coldness, and the bareness of the trees.