Fall is the Best

As I type this I'm listening to a squirrel in the tree next to me take a nut apart. I love fall so much- the sky is perfect blue, the weather is incredible, there's a breeze and crunchy leaves and knowing it's so brief makes it more enjoyable for my melancholy-loving temperament. I spend at least 10 minutes a day trying to convince Chase to play hooky- no luck so far, although we have been going on walks every evening through our dark neighborhood. Smelling fires in people's fireplaces and telling Wren to slow down and stay close for the zillionth time, and also for the zillionth time having my arm nearly pulled from my body when Ramona stops abruptly to sniff JUST THIS precise blade of grass I WILL NOT MOVE until I am finished you worthless human. Such a sweet, biddable dog, who does not hate us at all.

I am indulging myself in my annual fall reading (and biannual homework ignoring) with all my favorite old books. So far I've mostly just been dipping toes in- a few chapters of Sense and Sensibility, -one- of the Narnia books, but also all of the The Blue Sword (one of my very favorite YA books, and the first fantasy book I ever read, if you don't count The Once and Future King (which I don't)). And I Capture the Castle is perfect for the fall. I will probably allow myself one each from my favorite mystery writers, and I'm halfway through the new-ish William Gibson which I like but not nearly as much as Pattern Recognition. I read Ender's Game when I was in labor with Jane so that is probably off the list for the foreseeable future, and not really fall reading anyway, and I'm only reading S&S because of the self-imposed decade long break before I can read the rest of the Austen cannon, except probably Emma which I never liked that much anyway. Everyone is so smug. Does anyone have good fall reading recommendations?

I've also been reading some knitting patterns- knitting is an entirely seasonal craft in Texas. And today Soulemama put this one up and AH! Must Make That! Have you seen Jane's chunky little legs lately? They must be covered in stripey leg warmers immediately!

Wren is saying the craziest wackiest things lately- I find little scraps of paper around the house where I've scribbled some insane and hilarious thing she said, but I never put them together, or do anything with them. I should be blogging them here so we won't forget but now of course I can only remember one, from yesterday:

"Jane thinks Rock Obama is a kind of music to dance to."

Okay, hon. And also, of course, everything continues to be Dave's fault.