What Happened To Autumn?

I wouldn't live anywhere else but sometimes New England weather is enough to drive a person nuts.  It should be in the high 50sF or low 60s right now.  But , no, it's in the 40s and we've already had a few touches of frost plus snow in many areas.  Not much and mostly quickly gone, but still - it's only mid-way through October.  The wind has been strong for the past couple of days and so that 40ish feels freezingish(and I know that's not a real word but I'm sticking by it)

All the old wives' tales (and why aren't there any old husband's tales?)  are drawn out to warn of a hard cold winter ahead.  The favorite is the high number of acorns.  And there is a very high number.  You risk getting pelted with the things every time you step outside if there's an oak tree around.  They are promising slightly warmer weather, more normal, starting Tuesday but we'll see.   This is New England after all and our weather is never predictable.

So, having had to spend too much time changing all the curtains in the house(silently cursing the hubby's love of windows - I have 8 in my office not counting the door) from lace to winter heavy ones, I have done little writing.  I have done a lot of 'thinking' so here's hoping the writing will go smoothly once I can sit down and get back to it.  Unfortunately, that might not be for a while as I now have to get ready to go to NJ, hitting the road on Thursday.

And, that brings me to the crux of my whining.  Life interferes.  Simple things like needing to change the curtains or bring in the frost tender plants.  I should be writing; I want to be writing.  But there're cats to let in and out, litter boxes to change, laundry to do, floors to sweep, a car to be inspected(almsot forgot that - better make note) etc.  I wonder sometimes if I am the only writer who finds her days of writing whitttled down by the necessary minutiae of life.

I'm not talking time with the family, either.  That I will take whenever I can.  I am even trying to figure out a way to keep going to the NJ Conference since they switched the time from Columbus Day weekend to the weekend after - right at the time of my grandson's birthday.  Right now he is really too young to care much whether I am there amongst the crowd of children that come to his party or not.  But I care.  I will call him while in NJ but it's not the same.  I am certain that - if the NJ Conference falls at the same time next year - I will figure out some way to do both.   Whoever I go with may well find themselves dragged out of bed and into the car at 5am Sunday morning so that I can get home in time to go to the birthday party - even if there's a chance I will fall asleep there right in the middle of the chaos that is a child's party.  Either that or my room-mate will be kidnapped en route and have to enter that chaos with me.

So - for now - Hartley and Alethea are stuck in a corner.  The same corner so maybe they will be doing something interesting by the time I get back to them.   Lots of things one can do while stuck in a corner.