Leaves were falling
just like embers
In colors red and gold
they set us on fire
Burning just like a moonbeam
in our eyes
Somebody said they saw me
swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud.
Killing the Blues
Excerpt from my man John Prine’s fine tune called “Killing the Blues”.
I always enjoy this time of year. It’s when the air turns crisp during the evening and each morning when you wake up you’re greeted with a thin layer of frost on the car. It’s that time when you can start to see your breath come out in little puffs of steam as it clashes with the chill of the morning air.
It’s also when the trees begin to start shedding their leaves. They gather in the yard and cover the grass like a multi-colored carpet and feel good under your feet until they’re whisked away by the breeze or a rake. But, before they do, there’s those couple of days when they begin to turn color and seem to hang on to their branches like they were clinging to life itself. For all I know, maybe they are.
For a sports junkie like myself it’s almost like paradise. The golf course is picturesque and unlike the dog days of summer when you’re sweating your keister off and praying for the eighteenth hole to get there, the temperature makes it seem a bit like what heaven must seem like. Nobody complains about their scores anymore, they’re just happy to be out there playing. The college football season is in full swing and each week seems to offer up a fair share of surprises as the underdogs begin to take their toll on the top ranked teams in the country. Meanwhile, the pro’s are starting to sort out which teams might be favored to make it to the Super Bowl.
Then, there’s the Fall Classic, the World Series of Baseball. Even though my beloved New York Mets pulled one of the biggest chokes of all time, I’m still looking forward to watching the play-offs and rooting for The Tribe and their legion of long suffering fans to finally get the monkey off their backs and pop the corks on some champagne bottles.
Hockey has already started, college and pro basketball are just around the corner.
Anna’s soccer season is winding down. After watching her play for the last six or seven years, I’m always amazed at the progress she’s made. When she first started, it was like watching a herd of little girls chasing the ball up and down the field as they bunched up and formed into tight packs. Naturally there were always one or two who at that age were more interested in cloud formations, picking dandelions or chasing butterflies but for those who stuck with it, well, they’ve learned the game. Of course they still have a long way to go but the friendships that have been formed during their healthy competition will probably last through high school and into college.
Speaking of Anna, she turns thirteen this weekend and maybe, after everything I’ve written about that’s the real reason behind my happiness. See, all those other things, the leaves, the sports, the changing of the seasons, in terms of my interest, they’ll probably wane over time.
Even though she doesn’t hug me in that little kid way the way she used to. Even though she doesn’t like me hovering over her like what they’re referring to on the news as “helicopter parents" and even though she’d rather spend time alone in her room or out with her friends than with yours truly, she remains the constant.
Happy Birthday kiddo!
Your pops loves you.