Cold and Mostly Gloomy

You're not supposed to talk about the weather, I know, but I can't help it. I really like to talk about the weather. We lived in California for three years, and it was very difficult for me because there is really no weather to talk about. Which doesn't mean I didn't try, because talking about the weather is what I do. Understanding Midwestern transplants humored me, which was nice. (Our church had co-pastors, a couple, and she told me she'd lived there for 10 years and so far, every year, the weather had been atypical. Whatever the weather was doing, it was not normal. We were there during a dry patch. Tom's older brother was there earlier, during a wet patch.)

Anyway, I just did a little online research, to help bolster my grumblings about our recent weather. On September 24th our high temperature was 80. It was 72 on September 27 (that *was* 19 days ago). Since then, we've hit 60 twice (we're supposed to be nearly 60 on Sunday--I can't wait!--but you can't get your hopes up, they announce these expected highs just to mess with you). It was 41 at 1am this morning, and I can't report on yesterday because I can't find it on the internet, but except for 1am this morning and maybe yesterday we haven't been over 40 since last Thursday.

I've put away my shorts and gotten out my turtlenecks, sweaters, leather coat, and scarves. Our leaves never turned colors, except for a few drought-stressed trees. (It may not have been a good color year anyway, since we had long stretches of cool, or dry, or rain all summer.) The ash trees dumped thick piles of green leaves on the ground just in time to get snowed on, and the other trees are still wearing their leaves. I don't think I've ever seen a winter where the leaves are still on the trees. It will be interesting to see how that plays out--if we wind up with a mix of leaves and snow on the ground, or if there is no snow and we just wind up outside raking in 38-degree November weather. (There's something to look forward to.)

So, between the rain, gloom, cold weather, and shortening days, and the fact that I am still winding up the dreaded writing project at work, it is really feeling like winter. We really might be almost done with the document though. I have certainly given up all caring. I wrote one more new section today and gave it to my boss to "improve," and honestly I don't care what he does to it. Not in the slightest. As long as I can point our last batch of unassigned requirements to it and call it a day, I'm happy. I'm going to make one last pass making sure that "hidden paragraphs" wound up hidden or not hidden appropriately, and I'm good. I cannot be persuaded to care about anything else.