Hot Blasts of Autumn

Bea and I spent the morning walking through the parks that span two of our favorite places--the library and Waynesburg University. Starting across the street at Bowlbly Library (a converted mansion with a resident library cat), we crossed into the greens of College Park and made our way across a little footbridge (stopping to check for trolls), up and around the gazebo, past the tiny pond edged with cattails. We finally edged around the fountain (full but not flowing) and up the steep path that leads to one of the ugliest buildings at the University--a big concrete block constructed in the dark ages of architecture: yellowy windows, no features at all, massive and blank on all sides. The Humanities building. Inside its unyielding walls works one of the most beautiful people ever molded, and from his glass jar we picked an orange lollipop.

It is quite warm again today--high 80's--but a wind gusts every now and then, the leaves drift across the grass, and the hills have begun to turn yellow. Merry's huge pumpkin out in the pool garden is striated with deep jade and dark orange. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to finally give up and become autumnal. High of 68 is what I hear. Now, that's something to celebrate!

I'm about to put an enormous bottle of white wine in the refrigerator. We will pop the cork, eat some Supersweet cherry tomatoes, and toast the real end of summer.