I’m done with summer – been done with it since the end of May!
However, there hasn’t been much I can do about encouraging Mother Nature to chill out a bit sooner rather than later.
Look, I know we already had the first “official” day of fall back on Sept. 22, but the current weather isn’t inspiring me for Autumn-related traditions.
I’m tired of the 90-plus-degrees daylight hours and sunlight that feels like it’s trying to burn my retinas out of my head.
I miss the cooler nights, North winds and eerie fog that seems to creep out of the nearby pastures.
Apparently, we’re due for a real, live cold front this weekend and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed and praying that meteorologists are on-point with the predicted low temperatures reaching the upper 50s while daytime numbers are lower 80s – or less!
Not that I’m holding my breath on all of their predictions, but a girl can dream, right?
Besides, I’m sure by Wednesday night or Thursday morning, the metal in my right leg will let me know just how close I’ll be to trading my usual attire for capris or even jeans.
For me, when it comes to covering events that require a lot of photography coverage – comfort is preferred above all else and as long as Summer’s heat is lingering that means I’m wearing shorts and cotton or linen-based clothing.
But, maybe that will change by Sunday morning.
We’re already halfway through October and I’m not feeling the urge to break out any pumpkin décor.
In fact, mom, Ashlee, and I just had a conversation about not decorating for fall or Halloween this year and skipping ahead to Christmas by the end of the month.
And I’m really mostly on board with it simply due to the fact that events are stacking up like dominoes and I don’t foresee any relief until Thanksgiving week.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be busy than struggling to find stories for each respective edition of the newspaper.
But, it sure would be nice if events and meetings didn’t overlap so closely!
Spreading things out makes far more sense in my book compared to having too many events with barely 30 minutes or an hour between start times.
Then again, I’ve heard from plenty of people that the variety gives them more overall options and I can kind of see where they’re coming from.
Still, we can’t make everything ourselves and it’s a struggle to cover things spread out all over the county – especially if we’re informed at the very last minute.
That also applies to personal moments or plans, too.
My sister came for a visit last weekend along with a couple of my friends being in town.
The only problem was that our schedules didn’t line up due to covering that 80th Annual Rice Festival’s kickoff event – the Queen’s Pageant.
And I don’t know if you’ve experienced many pageants, but the preparation, dedication and duration lasts for several hours more than you’re even estimating.
I’m always grateful for the pageant coordinators’ efforts to stick to a schedule and for always providing space so that we can take pictures at these traditional events.
After all, nothing says fall quite like the Rice Festival, so here’s to hoping the weather cooperates, too!
