Fall is here, like it or not. I’ve known it was coming. I could tell, every morning the light seemed to come later and later, and last Wednesday I returned to O’s softball practice in a panic that she was waiting for me because practice had been called for darkness. They were still practicing, but I can no longer rely on time of day as a way gauge light or dark. Today is the Autumnal Equinox when we’ll get an equal amount of daylight and darkness and then it will go downhill from there.

It feels like fall, too. Yesterday a front passed through bringing rain, soft rain, but rain nonetheless. Cool weather and clouds came with it and it felt like a fall evening on the drive home. The Tigers were away this week, so there wasn’t the urgency of getting to the game and finding a spot to watch. Instead, W went with the scouts to help set up for today’s Court of Honor and O and I went to the bookstore, the Apple store – as sort of side adventure, and caught the last half of the game before calling it a night.

The team played in downtown Naperville, which has a real downtown with a couple of excellent bookstores, restaurants, and shops and an Apple store.  I needed, really wanted to buy a book from the local bookstore and then go watch the game, as it turned out O and I sauntered across the street to the Apple store and took the new iPhone for a spin. I had to tear O away from a Mac and we left for the game.

We wore light jackets and it was enough to fight back the chill; it was a good night despite the Tiger loss. They have exactly the same record this year as they did last, before winning the rest of their games to make it to the state final. As hopeful as I am about the team, I don’t see it this year, but I’ll go cheer and holler like the high school football fan I am. You just never know; and, that is why they call it sport, you just never know. You don’t have to win all of the games, just the last few!

Today is gonna be a great day – softball, football, and Boy Scouts. The tomorrow – house, school, and rest. It’s fall, it feels like fall, and I am glad the trees don’t know yet. I’m not tellin’. Making the Days Count, one fall day after another, even when the days get shorter.

What are you gonna do with the first day of fall?