(Or maybe I just slept in a funky position last night. But that doesn’t work in nearly as well with my story.)
The sky is so blue, I can’t look directly at it. The sun is shining, warm. Our high today is 70. SEVENTY! Thanks to record-breaking rainfall in August and September, the grass is still green. The trees are still changing – vibrant reds, vivid oranges, brilliant yellows. Leaves are scattered like confetti on every street and in every yard. When a car drives by, the leaves swirl into the air and land with a whisper.
Sigh.
It just doesn’t get any better than this. The splendor of fall almost makes up for the Upper Midwest’s long and dreary winter.
Almost.
Being a good Minnesotan and a Certified Weather Geek, I feel compelled to tell you how abnormal this weather is for the end of October. Our normal high for October 30 is 49. (Note to my dear California friends: Yes, I said that’s the normal high.) The grass should be mostly dead by now, the leaves brown and the trees standing like naked sentries, ready for their winter coat of snow. In fact, in 1991, the Twin Cities were lashed with the infamous Halloween Blizzard at the end of October. More than two feet of wet snow coated the ground when the storm was over.
But this year? It’s perfection. I could jump up and down for joy. Connor and I celebrated with a major Newsboys party in the car on the way home from Bible study today. There's just no way to keep that kind of happy inside my soul.
Want proof? Here are a few pictures I’ve taken around town lately. (Sorry, my Newsboys dancing picture isn't included. You'll have to wait for The Enquirer.)
(Yes, that last picture was taken while I was driving. In my defense, the day was too beautiful to worry about little things like road safety. Plus, I was about to turn in to the mall where a new Trader Joe's just opened. Trader Joe's. In Minnesota. Near me. Be still my heart.)
One of the things I love best about the Internet is reading about the differences in cultures and climates all across this great country – and all across the world. So how about you? What's fall been like in your corner of the woods?
