Up and Autumn!

The mountainsides of my Motherland are blasting news of Fall in a cacophony (love that word) of beatnik colors and crispy leaf crunches. I miss Idaho in the fall. And Utah. I would happily return to Utah (my home for four years), something I've never admitted out loud, if it was always Autumn there.

But I live in what is called a desert biome, a stubborn stretch of land that refuses to relent to the seasonal changes that the rest of the country finds pleasurable. Leaves hold tight to their branches through Christmas, only giving up in "Spring" when new juvenile ones push them off. Cacti give the perpetual finger to temperature change, refusing to acknowledge it in any way.

While it's definitely not as obvious as in my beloved Tetons and Uintas, I am determined to find fall this year. I find it, a little bit. A week ago I woke up and noticed my thermostat read 78. I immediately cursed myself- I must have inadvertently turned it down? It's always set at 80 to avoid another $414 power bill. Then it hit me. My house cooled down all by itself! First time since April. Fall is here.

My tap water has recently become a shade cooler than lukewarm. Even in January it won't be as cold as the mountaintapped Idaho water, but it's cooler. Another week or so and I can switch the clothes washer to "warm" when I do a load. I have washed everything in "cold" all summer, since the only cold it can muster is warmer than room temp.

Another fun fall signal: my kids want hot chocolate in the mornings. After waking up to 80 degrees all summer apparently 76 is brisk. Need a steamy hot drink before braving the low 70's outside the front door. My kids aren't the only ones thinking it's cold outside. In my morning jaunt I see people in jackets.

C'mon, wussies. People in Idaho lay out when it's this warm.
The wussy jackets are irrefutable proof. Fall has seeped into Maricopa.

Next thing you know I'll actually wear socks.