In a couple of weeks, on Sept. 22 to be exact, the world, at least this half of it, will be observing the Autumnal Equinox, the day that most people call the first day of fall.
I like to think of it as the time when the tired old sun, having spent six months of energy with us, thinks it is about time that he goes to those Southern climes and gets himself rejuvenated or rebooted.
He, of course, is probably enamoured of such places as Buenos Aires, Rio, the romantic wiles of the Girl from Ipanema and like creatures and thinks it is about time he gets a little R&R.
Those of us of a serious nature will, of course, look on it as a phenomena: something that happens each year and has happened for a few thousand years.
We are through with summer and now we are in for six months of cold and rainy weather, and if we lived in other parts of our half of the world we might even get snow, blizzards and even worse. Not that the past season has lived up to expectations.
Summer has been one big bust and maybe ol’ sol is running out of gas or steam or whatever it was he was using for fuel this past year. Maybe he tried experimenting with some of that spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico and got a little too much salt water in the mixture. It will happen, you know.
But autumn it is and autumn it will be, at least for the next three months.
We, of course, should not behave like wailing children. We should, rather, look at the good things that might be on our calendars in this period. Just the other day, for example, we attended the first meeting of the year for the Sweetwater Woman’s Club.
They, for the most part, are as enthused and excited as a youngster on his first date. The president, Carolyn Ketterer, spoke of the club’s projects for this coming year, the principal one, the Holiday Home Tour that will be in November. This is the project that brings in the funds that the ladies of the club are going to use for their many philanthropic endeavors.
The club house, by the way, is putting out the building equivalent of brand new clothing. The landscaping at the front of the meeting room has new and attractive plants and there seems to be fresh paint all around.
A couple of weeks back I spoke with Chula Vista Elementary District’s Superintendent, Lowell Billings and he told me of the many expectations that he is anticipating from the district’s schools starting this September.
This district, you know, is the largest elementary district in the state and its results have been among the best statewide. We look with pride at our schools. We will have more on schools later in the fall.
In a couple of weeks I will be going to the Bonita Kiwanis change of presidents ceremony and banquet at Anthony’s Fish Grotto. The incoming president, Bill Sears, will be unveiling many projects to be undertaken, some new and some being reprised. For more years than I can remember I have been involved in the annual distribution of food items at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The smiles that come from the recipients, particularly the children, are enough to make the entire endeavor worthwhile.
We mentioned new landscaping at the woman’s club. Have you been to the Bonita Golf Club lately? They spent part of the past summer putting in new and hardy plants among large boulders in the area ringing the clubhouse. The club changes the landscaping periodically, the idea, of course, is to make the golfer feel the pleasing surroundings. It, however, is not guaranteed to make you play better, but it is guaranteed to make you feel good even with a bad round. Or so they tell me.
Then we have the good feeling when we are visited by family members. We are, in this household, one of those who have-and have had for many years-the proverbial empty nest.
The three kids left and scattered all over the country. Aha, but we have the good fortune to have them drop in from time to time and brighten up our days. As of this writing son David and his wife, Terri, are occupying the bedroom that I call the local Bed and Breakfast. They will leave in a couple of days and in a day or so daughter Margaret will drop in. The summer may have been a bust, but visiting kids give us all the warmth that summer did not.
As we said earlier, let’s not cry about it.
