For most of my life, Fall has been the season for me.
I loved the snap in the air, the smell of the leaves. All the colors. There really isn’t anything like walking in the mountains or woods when there’s a hint of frost. Summer in the DC area is miserable and hot so the weather turning chilly is a wonderful thing.
That’s not the case here in North Texas.
There isn’t much fall around here. The leaves turn olive drab and fall. There are few fall colors, at least other than olive drab, tan, and brown. There’s very little cooling. It’s hot as hell, then it’s not. But it’s also not chilly either. Then we get days where it’s blistering cold. The houses really aren’t built for this, so you suffer.
But spring is another thing. Around February, things start greening up and by now, the area is greening up nicely.
There are a lot of open spaces on my dog walk route in the morning. They just completed a park at the edge of the neighborhood. All around, grass and trees are growing, there’s a perfume smell from some of the shrubs (I’m not sure what they are called). Lots of stuff for the hounds to sniff.
However, a lot of the neighborhood is a mess.
One thing about this neighborhood; most of the lawns are done. I don’t know whether they were clobbered in the winter, or winters past, or if no one cares about the lawn. I think it’s the latter. Just from observation, not a lot of effort goes into lawn care. Many don’t appear to have been mown all year. Most are festooned with weeds. The house I’m living in, for sure. Then again, it’s not my lawn. I’ll get some weed and feed. It’s the least I can do.
This is a magic time around here. The weather is fantastic. It was 80 degrees and sunny today. After being trapped at my desk most of the day, I suited up and lit out on the bike for a burger. There are more than a few decent burger places around, and I’ve been jonesing for one for some reason.
It gave me a chance to try out the new jacket.
This one is made by Sedici. It has inserts in the elbows, back, and shoulders. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’m a t-shirt, jeans, and boots rider. But now I’m a convert. It felt like I wasn’t wearing a jacket. Matter of fact, I was hotter when I took it off.
SCIENCE!
It’s going to be a great spring, and I intend to make the most of it.
There are roads to straighten. There are lakes to explore.
Inspected By Pat 