One reason I was so happy to move to Indianapolis was that I would finally be able to experience all four seasons.  Living in Texas for five years was nice.  But there isn’t much of a fall or spring, and the winters are cold and quick.  I grew up in Maryland, so I’m used to a cold Winter, warm Spring , hot Summer and cool Fall.  And the changing colors of the leaves - well, that may have been what I missed most of all.  So for the past several weeks I’ve been telling my daughter “Look Kennedy!  Look.! The leaves are changing color!  The leaves are changing color.!!!  See the bright red, orange and yellow colors??!!”  I guess the enthusiasm is not contagious because all my 3 year old would say was “Daddy, why do you keep telling  me that?!”

  It didn’t matter.  I was happy and enjoing every minute.  For the past five years I had longed for this kind of climate, and now I finally have it.  But— be oh so careful what you wish for.   You see, I began to notice that the leaves, ever so slowly, began to fall to the ground.  Not a lot at first.  In fact, just enough to appreciate.  Of course I knew this would happen.  I just didn’t think about it… that is until we got hit by that thunderstorm last week.  Just like that, all of the leaves on our trees were now on the ground.  And guess who has to rake them all and pick them up.  Well, not my daughter. She’ll probably just jump in the piles.  And certainly not my wife.  (I don’t like sleeping on the couch).  Yup, yours truly.  Ok.  Ok.  It’s not a lot.  Certainly it can all be done in a couple of days.   It’s just that sometimes when you romanticize about stuff, you forget that the devil truly is in the details.

And of course, winter is right around the corner.