"Fall"in' into autumn

As the hot days of August give way to mid-September, we gradually change our habits, falling into a pattern we've developed over nearly 30 years in this house. The a/c goes off and the windows go up. But not all of them like in the spring. Six month ago it was only going to get hotter. Now, we'll more likely close a window than open a new one. First, the doors stay open in the mornings and late into the evening. Then, they don't. The ceiling fans are turned down, then off. The extra bedroom fan is stored.

Then one day, I'll wake up and not open a window. During the night, we would have arisen and closed the ones in the bedroom. The blanket will be dragged from the cedar chest. I'll wear socks, then house shoes. Both cats will beat us to bed to get warm. One day the decision will be made: the heat will have to be turned on. The smell from an unused system will fill the house and then dissipate.

It will be what passes for winter in north Texas.

And I'll be hungry for spring.