The Bloody Doors Off

This, today, is what I hate about fall.

Not the rain. No it’s nice. The rolling thunder and sound of a downpour last night was amazing.

It’s. Time to put away the cargo shorts and sigh wear pants.

When the weather starts to turn, and the cool temperatures aren’t just reserved for evening.

There’s always a Day.

I remember one year, I was on a date with Marlo. We’d been seeing each other just a few months. We made plans — with another couple? — to attend an event on College Street. And I was clearly under dressed. Short-sleeve shirt, cargo shorts (I like cargo shorts, so what?). And it was colder than today. Put on my macho best saying, it didn’t bother me. (It clearly did.) We went across the street to Burrito Boyz after for a bite to eat. Man, I could wax poetic for two minutes with Burrito Boyz stories.

Ha. I meant twenty minutes. Not two.

Anyway.

I’ll spare you.

Today was that Day.

Which means turning back the clocks in a few weeks.

Sun setting at 5pm.

And it’ll get colder. The jackets will come out.

Then the boots. Gloves.

The first snowfall.

Beautiful as it will be, we will know then that there’s no turning back. We have to ride out the coming winter together, in hopes we’ll see an early spring. (The first draft of that line was “we’ll see spring”, talk about morbid.)

Shit. The Christmas Market starts in just over a month.

And they’re converting Mill Street into one-way westbound on Monday. Last Winter, my wife had to keep justifying to the traffic cop that we did indeed “live in that building” and should be allowed through. Traffic will be a nightmare for the next two to three months.

That’s what Today reminds me of.

Sure to send chills up my spine.