Ah, yes, I have a journal.

Fall has finally arrived. We've had hints of it here in the Willamette Valley since the first part of September, but summer refused to relenquish its grasp. Sunny days lingered, and the trees and the flowers continued to thrive, until this past weekend. Saturday brought a cool, fall morning, and we've had intermittent showers ever since. (This is, of course, welcomed by me since I much prefer the transitional seasons and the temperate, but varied, weather they bring.)

As if we don't see them enough already, Kris and I spent the weekend at Champoeg Park with Mac and Pam. We stayed in a Yurt, and spent all of our time playing games: bridge, hearts, Democrazy, Settlers of Cataan, and Cities and Knights of Catan. And Sorry.

The trees at Champoeg had begun to turn. Here in Canby, only fifteen miles from Champoeg, there are only a few leaves that have changed color. Most of the trees in the park had begun to turn, though, and one particular type of tree was a golden yellow, losing its leaves. The scientists in the group (i.e. everyone but me) spent time conjecturing as to the nature of the park's microclimate, though they never reached a satisfactory conclusion. They did decide that the briliant trees near the Yurts were probably white ash.

The neighborhood smells and feels great today. It's cool, but the sun is shining. The air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of an oak fire from a chimney nearby. My grandparents burned oak in their wood stove, and to this day the smell can spur a wave of nostalgia.

I've been writing. A little. I have a pad of paper and a pen that I keep with me. When I have five, ten, fifteen minutes, I take a page and write whatever comes. I'm not interested in quality results at this point; I'm merely attempting to remember what it is like to write. I've produced about fifteen pages of material so far, and it has felt good to get back in the habit.

On this day at foldedspace.org

2004 — World Views   During my freshman year of college, all students were required to take a seminar called World Views, a semester-long course intended to introduce us to the mindset of a particular group of people during a particular era.

2003 — Groggy   In which I take a nap and wake up groggy.

2002 — Legion of Bugs   The Legion of Bugs lived in an abandoned anthill somewhere in rural America. The humans around them had no conception of just how many times these powerful insects had saved the world from complete destruction.