Like this:

I was late to work today.  It’s really cold; only in the 40′s as of 9:00 a.m.  It will get up to the low 60′s, or so says the professional, licensed meteorologist who got Sunday duty.   Not many homeless out on the street this morning.  They’re probably huddled in a corner out of the drift of a 10 mph breeze waiting the onslaught of a tedious day full of rain.  I did see one guy; jeans, v-neck T-shirt, hands thrust down into his pockets, walking Highland Avenue over near Del Rosa.  We had a “Magnificent Obsession” moment and I made it in about 10 minutes late.

Here in Southern California there were three football games on TV last night at the same time; maybe more, I simply didn’t look for them.  #14 Kansas State was taking on #3, Oklahoma State.  UCLA was playing #24 Arizona State.  And, of course, there was the “magnificent testosterone-fest” between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama.  In a perfect world, K-State and UCLA would have won and I would have actually cared who won the “other” game.  I flipped back and forth among the three games all evening, but gave most of my interest to the KSU/OSU game.  One could go the entire season and not see three games any more competitive or exciting than these three.  Final tally?  KSU loses to OSU in the final second.  UCLA stays with ASU and wins by 1.  Not a touchdown is scored in the “marquis” match-up.  LSU wins 9 to 6.  I don’t believe I’ll see any better football this year . . . at least not at the same time.

Before this year I had not noticed the out-sized number of commercials for medical insurance for Seniors during October, November and December.  Of course, I’ve been sensitized to all these blathering spokespersons because it is my first year in the clutches of Medicare.  It seems the entire population over 65 get’s a “do-over” every year between October 15 to December 7 (this year).  If you want to change a multitude of coverages and right a mass of “wrongs”, now’s the time to do it.  I wonder how I’ll feel about all this a year from now?

I think I miss Kansas most in the Fall.  There are certainly other places in our world with more Autumn color, but I miss good ol’ Junction City.  There were places you can see rimrock along the hills.  The river land and creek bottoms were aflame with turning leaves.  You knew the winds would come one day soon and cannonize them across the land.  When the Fall rains came the vacant trees were turned black against a gray, bulbous sky.  The aroma of the moisture on the trees, stubble in cornfields and hay fields were a once a year event.  All of this was a portent to the coming cold, often windy, Winter.  We lived in an area where Winter was a cruel Mistress.  Always promising, rarely delivering the anticipated “Winter Wonderland” we so desired.  Dull, dreary, windy, gray and cold were adjectives we used often to describe the interminable days of Winter.  Fall was the last dance before  the merriment closed down for a season.

Gorgeous is making a Turkey today with all the trimmings.  I don’t know why.  I’ve always viewed such an event as a dress rehearsal for Thanksgiving.  She says that’s not it.  She mentions something about the cost of turkeys at this time of year and how it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.  Everything considered, I’ll suffer in silence.

 

 

 

 

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