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Here Comes Fall

As the summer began with a flourish of outside activity and appreciation for the climate where I live, so it exits and in its place comes fall.

Recently I attended a pool party at a faculty member's house, and as though aware that I would likely not go in a pool for many more months, I remained submerged in the pool and later the hot tub for nearly five hours, floundering in the weightlessness of the water. The truer reason I remained in the pool was because three big friendly dogs occupied the inside of the house and even the outside patio, and I was only safe from them in the water. As typically occurs, the dogs pounced on me as soon as I entered the house, somehow sensing that I was allergic to them, and after about fifteen minutes after my arrival and two attempted tongue baths therein, I made for the protection of the water, hoping the dogs could not swim.

I suppose it is fair to say that I also stayed in for so long out of fear of making an exit. As the only adult in the pool with all other adults gathered around it in their dry, flesh-concealing clothing, I would have felt a spectacle getting out of the pool in a drenched and clingy, probably shifted bathing suit. I mapped out possible scenarios in my head that might allow me to get to the safe covering of my towel, but too many people were between it and me, so I sank back down into the water and floated around on a giant foam noodle.

At the night's end I emerged from the pool with shriveled up skin and scraped feet from dog-pedaling intermittently to stay afloat.

***

Although I live in a region that is notoriously "seasonless," I find that the longer I live here in Tampa the more I am able to appreciate the subtle nuances of the changing weather patterns. This past week, however, the cool air and gusty winds were anything but subtle as they whipped around, announcing the approaching autumn splendor.

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