Calm Change

Sometimes the fall equinox is accompanied by violent and/or very abrupt changes in the weather. The year of 1983 was one of those times. Our youngest child was overdue and the summer heat continued with a vengeance. When we finally left for the hospital in the early morning hours on September 20, it had only gone down to 80 degrees overnight. Fall came with a terrific crash during the days I was in the hospital. (In those days they let you rest a couple days and didn't push you out six hours later.) The nurses kept saying how cool it was but I found it hard to believe until the moment I stepped out of the hospital. There was a definite chill in the air and summer had come to an abrupt end.

This year that child had his 30th birthday. His wife hosted a party for him at their home. Since their house is too small for a party crowd, she planned to have it on the lawn. Uh-oh! I thought. That's chancy. It's the equinox after all.

But this year the equinox came in rather calmly for a change. There were no hurricanes or violent storms. A line of thunderstorms passed through Saturday night. They dropped about a half inch of rain and ushered in cooler temperatures but by Sunday it had cleared and the lawn party went on as planned. It did get a bit chilly as the evening wore on, and especially after the sun went down. But by then the party was nearly over. I got a bunch of pictures at the party and after I was home I realized I don't have one of the birthday boy. What kind of a mom does something like that!