Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Leaves and Autumn

I just could not believe the number of leaves which fell from the trees and made their way into my pool over the weekend.

It reminded me of the last time we had a major thunderstorm--except--this time no storm.

I began the shut down process last evening and I was reminded this morning as I was taking the pool cleaner out of the pool in 50 degree weather that the days of swimming and lounging on a floatie are over for 2009!

It is time to secure summer and pack it away for the 2010 edition.

It's really rotten though when you think of it, here it is almost October and the pool is closed not to be enjoyed again until May. That is like 7 months away! The agony of it all. The thought of living somewhere the pool can be open year round really appeals to me.

The falling leaves just remind me that I am already behind the power curve on the pool.

On our abbreviated walk with Makayla last evening , Chris and I saw a tree already devoid of leaves. I remarked that they were all in my pool!

But--we are off to Charlottesville this weekend for an Autumn three-day weekend of wine and fun! That should be nice. Except I'll be further behind in my pool closing. Ugh! So much to do, so little time.

Well, I remind myself when I am behind in racquetball that I only need to win the next point. Similarly, I only need to get done today what needs to get done today; looking at the mountain ahead of me will only make me----
a. scared
b. depressed
c. want to run away
d. quit
e. go read a book
f. some or all of the above!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Monday Musings - September 28, 2009

1. Birthday celebrations which span multiple days are a lot of fun! Especially when they are mostly close friend and family affairs.

2. Football, steaks, grilling, and Sunday afternoons with family--what could be better?

3. The annual pool closing event is at hand! I cannot believe it and I can't even procrastinate! The leaves will overwhelm me if I do!

4. An amazing thing happened on Friday and Saturday--Chris got me into a grocery store on three separate occasions! That never happens! I must be slipping!

5. I am becoming a huge fan of house concerts and getting up close to the performers. They are a lot of fun and the ultra-small venue really allows for a good exchange between the performers and the crowd. And it is a great night/day out with friends.

6. Just to lay it down--yes, I know the Orioles are are attempting to lost 100 games this year--with seven to go they need three wind to only lose 99. Does it really matter? I think they have sewed up being the 28th best team in Major League Baseball for the 2009 season. Although being the 29th best team is within their reach!

7. Futility! It's frustrating!

8. I finished the new Dan Brown book--The Lost Symbol. I recommend it--especially if you liked The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.

9. I noticed the sunrise this morning as I left the club after my racquetball match. It is getting later and later every day.

10. What to know what is funny? Makayla, my dog. Last night she was so tired after playing with Ben (Jeremy's dog) all day that when I went to put her out for the last time before going to bed, she just went up the stairs instead of going outside. I put her on the bed and she didn't move all night and didn't even get up when I left this morning. Why can't she do that on weekends instead of getting up three or four times a night when I want to sleep and then sleep in?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

My Birthday--2009

Thanks to all who contacted me to wish me a happy birthday--it was great.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:

1:30am - dog wakes up and needs to go out
4:00am - dog can't sleep wakes me up, I move the dog and myself downstairs to the couch to let Chris sleep
6:00am - I hear the grandfather clock chime
6:15am - I hear the chimes again
6:30am - Dog unhappy again, give her more water and food
7:00am - Chris hears me and calls me back to bed, she takes the shift with the dog
9:20am - wake up after sleeping hard and stumble downstairs and talk to Mom on the phone
10:00am - boat concert canceled due to rotten weather (something about small craft advisory on the bay and of course--the rain!)--plan B at a friends house
11:30am - head out shopping to get food for Sunday
1:00pm - nap (yay)
2:45pm - head off to the house concert (former boat concert)
3:10pm - house concert, wine club, fun afternoon/evening with friends
8:30pm - home from the concert
9:30pm - the old people turn in for the night because the restless-dog night before is getting to us

So a sedate, but interesting day.

The band at the house concert was ilyaimy They are very good with a country/folk/modern/new grass sound. I was impressed with their tight harmonies. We had a really good time and we also drank some great wine and ate some awesome food at the concert.

A great birthday! I won't detail gifts because, well, that's a bit conceited. But thanks to all who also gave me very nice gifts.

I will write, though, that I won a prize at the wine club--a book: How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time: and have her beg for more! And on top of that, I learned what a riddler is! (nope--not Batman's nemesis!)

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Joy of Life

This past Sunday, the message at our church included an interesting thought about life.

Jesus understood the need for joy in our lives. And for the things which bring us joy.

I ran across this anonymous quote about joy:

The great teachings unanimously emphasize that all the peace, wisdom, and joy in the universe are already within us; we don't have to gain, develop, or attain them. We're like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don't need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are -- as soon as we quit pretending we're small or unholy.

I distill this all down--joy is our own responsibility. It is the way we individually live and view life and what is around us. Do we see life as a blessing or a curse?

Jesus had a way of taking situations and transforming them. At a wedding he once attended, He saved the reception by providing wine and also helping to ensure the joy of those attending.

Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.” His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did. When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!” Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. John 2:1-11 - NET Bible

While we are each responsible for our joy and our view of the world--sometimes in dire circumstances when we notice that someone outside of the circumstance cares--it does help to reaffirm the joy which is resident within us. Here at a wedding--Jesus did just that for the party afterwards. And no, this wasn't grape juice either--people do not get drunk on grape juice. Jesus was contributing to the celebration and merriment. He was an instrument of joy by protecting the bridegroom from ridicule.

Jesus wants us happy and joyful.

We each need to work to find the joy in life. Chris will tell you that sometimes I have a problem with joy. I am so caught up in what I want to do next or what I think I should be doing that I forget to find joy in what I am doing.

Be joyful! In all things find the joy.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2006 - Review


Let me start by saying this is a great middle of the road Zinfandel!


I was looking for a fruity and spicy wine which was versatile and I believe this wine is it. The wine was the hit of our wine group last Friday evening. Everyone raved about it and we really enjoyed this wine a lot.


Here is what actually makes this wine: it is 86% Zinfandel and 14% petit sirah.


The tasting notes for the wine are:


The wine is dark purple and opaque in the glass. The nose is luscious and reveals intense, ripe berries, candied strawberry preserves and cinnamon spice. The palate follows with juicy, rounded fruit flavors that mingle with layers of warm, supple tannins leading to a long, plush finish.


Great on its own and perfect with barbeque, try pairing the wine with Baby Back Ribs or Gourmet Pulled-Pork Sandwiches garnished with sweet and spicy coleslaw.


RECOMMENDATION: Get this wine. At about $22 a bottle it is not inexpensive, but it is well worth the price.


Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Passing of Summer: A Day of Mourning

Yesterday was the official start of Autumn--the Autumnal Equinox (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere--Oh to be in Australia right now!)

Yes on Sept 22, 2009 at 5:18 P.M. EDT the sun appeared to cross the equator from north into the south! Of course the sun really didn't move, it all has to do with the earth and rotation and inclination and all kinds of space-related stuff. It was the equinox though. Day and night were of near equal length across the globe.

I had already noticed that darkness has arrived to greet me in the morning as I set off to work! Now the calendar agrees with my perception of the changing seasons.

In honor of the passing of Summer yesterday, I wore black! I was in mourning. It gave my co-workers something to chuckle about.

I took part of the day to reflect on the Summer which had just passed and I felt it was an active, exciting, joyful summer of fun. I will definitely hold on to the memories of parties around the pool, vacationing in Florida and especially diving the Vandenberg, relaxing around the house, weeding the garden, mowing the lawn--which really looked good this year, training Makayla (she needs a lot more), celebrating anniversaries, and dining/partying/drinking/vacationing with friends.

Next summer will be awesome, too. If only it were longer so we could do more.

Now we are in birthday season, it kicked off yesterday as Mike changed decades. We have numerous birthdays between now and April which will keep us busy celebrating life as we progress through the season of darkness.

I guess it works out kinda nice that we celebrate the lives of each of our family members as we transition through Autumn to Winter and finally back to Spring. If keeps us thinking of life rather than dwelling on the darkness.

So it is off with the black and on with the orange and red--the colors of the leaves as they don their party costumes and prepare the world for one last celebration before the cold and snow arrives signalling the season of sleep.

(When am I going to close the pool??? Ugh--I hope the leaves hold off their partying a couple weeks. Who can I speak to about that?)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Grace: Your Grace is Enough, Because it Makes Life not Fair

Over the course of the past week, I have been hit with the idea of grace a number of times.

In church, Sunday, we sang a song which I really get into and which has the phrase--"Your grace is enough for me"

Chris Tomlin sings the song, but it is written by Matthew Maher. Some of the lyrics and the refrain are as follows:

Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Here's the thing. Do we really believe this? Do we understand that grace really is enough?

Ephesians 2:8 from the Amplified Bible lays down the explanation this way:

For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment {and} made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;


I mean I was really struck by the idea of Grace--God's grace--not the stylized prayer we repeat at the beginning of a meal. But true God's grace.

What was so weird was that flying back from Denver last week, I was listening to another song on my Ipod with grace in it.

"Be My Escape" performed by Relient K--

I’m giving up on doing this alone now
Cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how
He’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there
And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

And that's really it isn't it? Grace makes life not fair!

We deserve death! But through grace, God provides us with life.

Some people work their whole lives and miss this important point--you cannot buy or work your way into heaven. It is through God's grace that He provides a place for you. We don't deserve it, we can't pay for it--yet it is ours.

We are free through God's grace, yet we still live as if we are in chains and are prisoners.

Be joyful--because grace makes us free and is more than enough. We can't earn it, because if we could earn it, we would cheapen it. It is God's gift to each of us--all we need do is accept it.

Your grace is enough because the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday Musings - September 21, 2009

1. Sunny and cool weekends portend Autumn's arrival even before the calendar officially says it is here. Sad isn't it.

2. I looked up into the pre-dawn sky the other morning and was shocked to see the constellation Orion--a winter constellation. While Orion is one of my favorite constellations, I really look more forward to not seeing it in the Springtime rather that its inaugural appearance during the late summer.

3. Saturday morning, 9AM --- on the soccer field with Ethan. Smiling at Jax, and talking to Mike and Nicole. If it gets much better than that, I'm not sure what it could be.

4. Do you know what it is when there are two keeshonden staying at the house? A pair-o-kees!

5. So answer me this--If I am such a crazed fool for summer, why did I attend a pre-season NHL hockey game while I was in Denver last week? I can't even skate!

6. Sports is tougher on the fans than the players I am convinced. Chris was a wreck because Dallas couldn't beat NY last night. Me, I'm used to cheering for a loser--just look at the O's who are still trying to avoid a 100 loss season (they still need 3 wins of 13 remaining games) and got swept by the Red Sox this weekend. At least the Ravens won!

7. I am still undecided about travel returning from a conference, when the conference is over late. Should I fly back the same night and get back home sometime after 1AM, or spend the night and fly home leisurely on the next day? I don't like either option. What is choice C?

Friday, September 18, 2009

People you meet along the way

I've been at a conference this week in Denver. I was reminded, as I reestablished ties with some friends and many acquaintances that each person we meet and interacts with leaves a part of themselves with you.

Likewise, we leave a part of ourselves with each person we meet.

Sometimes we leave a good part. Something witty or intelligent. But I also know that I have left some pretty scathing parts of myself with those unfortunate enough to have crossed my path in a negative way.

I'm not proud of that. It just happens sometimes and I have to work hard not to allow my emotions to boil over.

OK maybe I got a bit exercised at one point during the conference. But fortunately I stopped short of delivering a scathing fire-breathing monologue. (Yes I have been known to do that on occasion)

I asked myself: is it worth it and will I achieve my intended result. When the answer to both was no, I dismounted my stallion of "righteous intent" and began to work more calmly within the system to make my point.

I think I left those in attendance with a better, rather than worse piece of myself.


Bob Doan
Elkridge, MD
Sent from My Blackberry

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Monday Musings on Thursday - September, 17, 2009

Today, since I missed Monday--some musings about traveling

1. Traveling is at the same time fun, boring, exhausting, and hard. It all depends on where you are in the trip.

2. Being there is a lot better than getting there.

3. If the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, how long will it take me to get to the last step?

4. Some say it's not the destination, it is the journey. Yeah, just think about it, racing to the airport--to wait. Charging down the jet ramp to get to your seat--to wait. Getting to your destination and taking the bus to the car rental counter--to wait. Heading off in the rental car to the hotel and getting stuck in rush hour traffic--to wait. Maybe it's not a journey at all but an exercise in waiting.

5. Traveling alone is the pits. Turns out, I don't like eating out alone.

6. I miss my _____________ (fill in the blank with any of the following)
a. wife
b. dog
c. morning cup of coffee
d. newspaper
e. evening wine and cheese with the wife on the back deck
f. O's game because the sling box isn't set up right on my computer
g. speed-zone pace of life
h. 0530 racquetball game

7. I'm in Denver and the mountains are pretty--but they are a long way away.

8. Why do they always have conferences when the major league baseball teams are out of town?

9. Are the Avalanche playing tonight? Turns out they are! Maybe I'll do a hockey pre-season game. Yes--it is Hockey season almost! Who needs the NFL!!!!! With their uber-expensive tickets and poor fan support and TV time-outs?

Monday, September 14, 2009

I saw an Eagle

I had never before seen a Bald Eagle, our national symbol, in the wild. I wish I had been fast enough to get a picture of it.



Yet--during our vacation to Florida driving from the Merritt's Island National Wildlife Preserve I saw one perched proudly upon a tall pole.



It was big! And I was surprised at seeing the bird--even though I knew they lived in the area.



I almost didn't believe it and for some reason I was really excited.

It is really amazing what we can begin to see when we actually open our eyes and notice the world around us. I am one of the worst at blindly walking though life--and I know I miss a lot going on around me. Call it self-absorbed or something, but essentially I just block out the part of the world I am not, at that moment interested in.

I need to be more aware of what is going on around me.

Not to zone out. Maybe life will become more interesting.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Another Rainy Day? No, not Really!



I was surprised as I woke up this morning.


It was raining. It was raining hard--and constant.


I was wholly unprepared for the rain and what it meant for the traffic and the day.


I'm still suffering over the end of summer--and I came to the realization yesterday that I probably would not be spending any more time in the pool before I closed it for the winter since the temperatures had dropped so low.


So many people hate rain. But as i was discussing with Chris on the way to work this morning--I love rain and being rained on. I guess it comes from the sense of renewal that goes with the rain.


Even the Bible speaks of rain in this way--


“I will send rain for your land in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide pasture for your livestock and you will eat your fill.” (Deut 11:14-15 - NET Bible)


And we definitely are having the autumn rains right now.


Today, though, I also had a different and separate view of the rain. I saw it as tears falling upon our land. Tears of the martyrs of September 11th, 2001. Tears, reminding us that the fight against tyranny and chaos, and the forces of darkness is not complete, nor probably will it ever be complete.


We must constantly be on guard and against those forces that would drag us into darkness--and the rain, the tears of those who perished remind us, the ones who remain, that there is so much more to do until we can really live in peace.


So today wasn't just another rainy day. But a somber day of remembrance where we can rekindle the flames of patriotism and passion which so often become dim in our souls as we fight amongst ourselves about things like health care and the economy.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Gator and the Dog

Ever notice how we sometimes under estimate the intelligence or capability of someone we are doing business with?

I was reading a story about a dog that was attacked by a gator in Georgia this summer--and I was reminded of a situation that happened many years ago. It was tragic, in the end.

We were living near Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, LA during the real early 1980's. The base was blessed with a wide open area and a couple of lakes which made for nice picnicking. I remember the kids used to like to throw hot dogs to the gators in the bayou--even thought they weren't supposed to and I would always yell at them for doing it.

One afternoon we were by one of the lakes and a man was throwing a stick into the water and his faithful dog was charging in to retrieve it. I heard someone tell the man that he shouldn't be doing that because there were gators in the lake. Well, of course he ignored the warnings and replied with something about his dog being faster than any gator--and he continued to throw the stick. We left the area because I was sure that something bad was going to happen, and I really didn't want the kids to witness something traumatic.

I read in the base newspaper the next week that the man's dog was in fact killed by a gator at the lake on the very day we were there. I was sad--and mad at the man for being really stupid.

Now we all know dogs are probably faster than gators--but in their own environment gators know how to maximize their abilities.

Do not under estimate people you are dealing with. Allow them to have intelligence, cunning, and even useful insight--else, like the dog, you may be on the short end of the stick.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Wood Pile: An update

A funny thing happened yesterday after I published my blog item about the wood pile.

The wood pile got smaller!

Yup!

Something I never really imagined happened. Someone went by the house, grabbed some tools and started splitting the wood in the pile. So one of my piles of stuff got smaller.

Thanks Patrick!

How true it is--when we get those piles in our life we either are too proud to ask for help or forget to ask for help. And it is really cool when someone just helps--without being asked.

It is the same whether the pile in our life is wood, or cleaning, or vacuuming the house, or even just making dinner. When someone just shows up and helps out, without being asked, it is really heartwarming.

The piles--maybe they are an obstacle of some kind--just seem to sit there and grow in our minds. Sometimes it takes someone who doesn't carry around the same baggage to look at them and say: "It's not that big!" And then roll up their sleeves and dig in. Or start splitting!

I guess the upshot of this is, if we all work together we can accomplish a lot!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Wood Pile

Panic is setting in.

The wood pile we created earlier this year--it is still there. Still needs to be split. It has even grown a bit larger.

Ugh! And the cold season is coming. I am going to want to burn that wood, soon.



The pile of wood waiting to be split is a lot like some of the things I have piled up in my life waiting for action.



The piles never seem to go away and I never seem to get around to working on them. They could be anything from a book I want to read, or a language I want to learn, or a vacation I want to plan. It seems that the pace of life never lets me get to them.

Or maybe it is because I don't really want to get to them.

I know, if I really wanted to, I could get to those projects just like splitting the pile of wood. When I really want to do it, it will get done. It is a matter of priority.

Until then, just like the pile of wood--these projects and tasks remain as unrealized potential--a storehouse of things to do and complete.

The wood can't be burned until it is split and the benefits I gain from addressing the piles in my life can not be realized until I apply my time and effort to them.

I guess I need to get a plan together to address them.

Oops--I think I just created another wood pile!

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Monday, September 7, 2009

Monday Musings - September 7, 2009 Labor Day

1. I love holidays where we just hang around the house and get all kinds of stuff done.

2. It is amazing how much stuff needs to be done around a house just for normal maintenance.

3. Wine and cheese--what could be better than sitting on the back porch enjoying the weather and sipping and munching?

4. The movie Patton really is awesome on a Blue Ray.

5. I have been reminding all of my family that Baseball season IS NOT over yet! The O's still have games to lose.

6. Dogs that get set used to getting up at 5AM can be a problem on weekends and holidays At least she likes to go back to bed..

7. Our family football fantasy league really brings us together--and we have a lot of fun. It gives us something to discuss and have friendly competition.


Saturday, September 5, 2009

Here I am Whining Again


OK--there is someplace I'd rather be, OK!


There I said (or wrote) it!

On the water and even better, under it someplace warm and tropical!

Yes, I know it is the weekend, and I know I have a lot of stuff to do. But it is Labor Day weekend and that, as everyone knows, is the true end of summer.


Clothing changes, work resumes with a vengeance, and we begin the "gathering" process of preparing for the cold, dark, bleak, desolate (did I say dark?) winter ahead.

We leave the warmth and sunlight behind.

Do we need winter to make us appreciate summer more? I say no!

Remember, I'm the crazy the decided to leave upstate New York and go to college south of Miami! The only reason I came back to graduate from Syracuse was that my class time started to interfere with my beach time.

Not a good frame of mind to be in if one actually wants to graduate from college. The snow and cold of Central New York got me straightened out, fast!

I definitely need one more diving trip before the season ends. Spend some time with the fishes. Or sailing--with the waves.
Summer--the time to live and it seems we spend the remainder of the year getting ready for it or planning for it.





Friday, September 4, 2009

Cat or TV?


Sometimes it is hard to not laugh.

Every night, Louis, the cat, crawls up onto the TV stand and parks himself in front of the screen like some kind of statue.

I think in his mind it is more important to be seen than to be appreciated. Because I really do not appreciate his statuesque approach to my television watching.

I'm really not sure what his point is, but it is comical because it happens every night.

That is his place to park for a while.


No one can take it from him. No one dares!!

I guess we all need a spot like Louie's. A place where we are the undisputed king.

In his case, the dog can't get him and we don't feel like moving him.

Lucky him.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Getting above it all

Some days, it would be nice to get above all the noise and find a quiet almost serene place.

I saw this balloon the other day-against the blue sky on a beautiful afternoon. Just floating along being carried by the wind.

Some days--as I am stuck in the rat-race, or lost in the maze, I wish I could get my head up above the mundane and get a better eye on where I'm headed.

It must be freeing to be drifting on the breeze and to be going where the wind takes you and not able to really have control. Knowing only that whatever comes, you are ready for it. At least you can see where it is you are heading and prepare for it! A lot better than getting blindsided on the ground.

We need to take a few minutes and in our minds, create a place where we can drift on the wind for a minute and get our bearings. We might not like the course we are on, or we might be able to see an obstacle coming along.

Be like a person in a balloon, get up above the confines of daily life. There is no reason for us to run from one task to another without poking our heads up for a reality check.

Take a deep breath, slow down. Assess your life and if you think it is out of control, take back control.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sailing off into the Sky


I guess that as September has arrived (even though I am still in denial) it is nice to kind of project out where we are headed.

Sometimes, it seems as if we are a ship out on the open ocean--alone for a far as the eye can see. Charting our course for sights and lands unknown. We become the captains of our own ships and chart our own course without regard for those around us--because we can't see them.

I guess I sometimes dream of being the solitary ship headed off for adventure.

But it is September after all.

It is birthday season for our family--the celebrations begin in a few weeks and continue through April. Poor Ethan--he gets so tired of singing Happy Birthday for everyone else in the family before he brings up the end in April. Even Jax slipped in front of him!

And of course then there is the multiple holiday season--Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.

And football season and hockey season and the World Series!

And the famously politically incorrect remembrance--Columbus Day where the subjugation of the indigenous peoples of the America's began.

And the planning for weddings, and a new grandson and all of the excitement they bring.

July was tame by comparison!

Anyone have a spare weekend I can borrow?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

September 1st

The cool breeze surprised me
As it whisked on by
Cleansed of Summer's heat
And dampness
It woke me
To the imminent ending
And made me relish
The memory of Summer fun

My feet were dangling
In the clear, warm water of my pool
Swishing aimlessly
As I reclined and napped
And I knew that this repose
Must all too soon end
Giving way to Autumn's chill
And Winter's squalls

September is standing
On my doorstep
With its promise of colorful leaves
And colder breezes
Closing the chapter
On Summer's fun
The same as the cover
That will soon go over my pool

Beyond the Autumn
I see
Winter's cold and nearing grasp
Aware of what is coming
But wishing I could remain
Where the warm joyful breezes
Play with the carefree waves
That break along the beach all day
My Zimbio
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