What the First Day of Fall Really Means

At 11:09 p.m. tonight, I will be arguing with my husband. I will resist turning the air condition back on since at that moment, Fall 2010 will arrive. He will insist that we cool off the house mechanically because of a very practical reason: the temperatures reached the 90s today.

Though most people who are brave enough to make New Year's resolutions do so at the end of December, my new year always starts with Fall. This season is particularly beautiful in northern Virginia because of the warm but no longer hot (well, okay, this week was the exception) temperatures and lovely scenery. The first day of Fall means some definite changes in the rhythm of life.

Home Schooling

I have five at home, ages 2 ½ through 3 ½. I always wait until a couple of weeks after the public schools open before starting home schooling. The first three are triplets. All of them were - and two still are - feral cats.

We limit ourselves to two subjects per semester. One is always physical education, which occurs for 15 minutes every day. The class materials include feathered fake birds, string, balls and anything else that stirs even a morsel of interest in movement.

The second subject is developmental. This semester, it's "Interacting as a Group," subtitled, "Keeping Your Paws to Yourself at Least Some of the Time." Planning the curriculum should be a snap since none of them passed the class last spring.

Dry Cleaning

The first day of Fall means it's time to take winter coats and jackets to the $1.99 cleaners. I always start with the sweaters that have been on the floor of my closet since I stopped wearing them last April.

Judging by the amount of hair on them, I either need specialized medical treatment or they've served as nap pods for some of the five youngsters.

Cleaning the Microwave

It's time to say goodbye to Lean Cuisine, Stouffer's and any other company that got us through the spring and summer. This is the time of year when chili re-enters the picture. That means I'm supposed to cook it . . . as in using a pot on the stove.

Since I'll actually be cooking for a change, it's time to scrub the microwave. By the way, did you know you can prepare a great low-calorie acorn squash in this time-saving device?

Visiting My Doctors

Now's the time to schedule at least a dozen M.D. visits prior to December 31. No, we don't have a health savings account. What we do have is a yearly catastrophic limit, and we've nearly reached it. No use wasting good money.

So far, I have been able to discern the need to visit the internist a couple of times, along with the gastroenterologist, dentist, orthopedic surgeon (will he finally replace one of my knees?), dermatologist, sleep apnea specialist, gynecologist and ophthalmologist. If I forgot anybody, I'll catch it when I go through our Blue Cross/Blue Shield explanations of benefits.

Store Flip Flops

Reluctantly, the flip flops that haven't disintegrated over the summer are going to the back of the closet tonight. They'll be replaced by real shoes and the thick beige compression stockings I've buried in my dresser drawer all summer.

Note that I never have to retire a white summer wardrobe. Due to their tendency to cause a resemblance between Moby Dick and me, I don't wear white clothes or shoes.

Grill Party

We have to invite enough people to keep the grill going for at least 90 minutes. The purpose of this party isn't to treat our friends and neighbors. It's to get a hot enough fire in the grill so that we can put it away for the winter without cleaning it beyond minimal effort.

Since we still have roses blooming in November, we should probably aim for the last week of October.

End of Daylight Savings Time

Since it means an extra hour of sleep the first weekend in November, there's good reason on the first day of Fall to look forward to the end of Daylight Savings Time.

Maybe we should combine it with the grill party?

Sources:

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/first-day-fall-2010-usa-autumn-starts-september-equinox-2658427.html

http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b2.html