Hold Outs

Welp…summer is certainly behind us for another year…in several days the calendar will boast that it’s October 1st which means “all things apple, pumpkin spice, caramel, donuts, hot autumn beverages, football games, blankets…sweatshirts, longer pants….” Most all associated with cooler temperatures that come with Fall, now front and center in my mind. 

This past week my good husband turned on the heat. Although it seems early, waking in the morning to feel the warmth in the house as I make my way to the coffee pot is very welcome. Admittedly, I am keeping my slippers by the bed, something I don’t necessarily do during the hot summer months. In fact, my slippers are usually covered up in the closet by summer’s choices of shoes! I like the changes that come with each season. I truly like “all things apple and pumpkin”…but I also like the ability to wear shorts or capris and my sandals…thus my photo. 

On Monday I woke to temperatures in the low 50s. The sky was gray with rain clouds covering our lil neck of the woods. Monday mornings you’ll find me in our church office working for a few hours at the front desk. The drive there is very short, not long enough for the heat in the car to warm up to a comfortable number. I toyed whether to cover my feet with socks and shoes…I really wanted to get a few more days with my favorite jean capris and my most recent pedicure with red toes for Fall! So, I did it. The photo is proof that I left the house sporting my summer hang out “look” on an early chillier-than-usual morning. 

I’m in good company with my sandals..several female friends at church have the same attitude regarding their feet…their choice of shoes…regardless of the weather. A couple of them make jokes about wearing sandals year round no matter rain, snow, slush, ice, or clear sunny skies.  I smile politely and let them enjoy their little quirk–I draw the line at having my feet get real cold or getting a “soaker” as we called it when we were kids, stepping into a puddle that rose up to our ankles.

Just this past weekend, my husband was left in charge of two grandchildren on a Saturday morning. While the 7 year old played inside contentedly, he had the 3 year old outside who is fascinated with the garden hose. Saturday was a mildly blustery day for late September. Rain threatened throughout the morning, the air was cold enough to require a warm jacket, certainly not your “typical let’s play in the water kinda day”….but to a grandpa and a 3 year old….let’s just say that as I drove up the driveway I was audience to our grandson holding the garden hose up to his face and mouth…jibber jabbering at the stream of COLD water pouring out on him and drenching his jacket, pants, and shoes. I questioned the wisdom of such folly only to be told “well, he’s already soaked one set of clothes….I threw everything of the kids stuff in the washer”….grandpas logic and playtime activities differ from gramma’s…but by the expressions on their faces, cold water, chilly air and soaked clothing and shoes–gramma’s common sense didn’t matter. I smiled, laughed, and went inside the house. Kids warm up. Clothes dry out (with some help) Memories last forever.

Yes, I have some summer holdouts. My sandals are one of them. It’s safe to say that most of the flowering plants are going dormant now…seed pods are forming which help to replenish the beds next year or provide a snack for our neighborhood birds and small critters. Some of the “dead” plants have been removed to the compost pile. Vegetable plants have been uprooted too. Their purpose is finished, too. In their place are remnants of what once was a vibrant green healthy plant or vine. Dead leaves have dropped to the ground and will slowly disappear into the dirt until next spring when I will “work” up the ground to get it ready for another “fresh start” in a season of new growth…and I will most likely wear a pair of older sandals while I embrace the promises of spring after enduring winter months that promise “hot beverages”…”blankets”….”jackets”…”snow boots”….”snow”….did I ever tell you how much I love snow?….till next time or the first snowfall! Hmmm….I wonder if anyone has ever tried to design a snow boot that looks like a sandal?