All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands

Fall is breaking its way through Summer's rays with the kind of crisp that reminds me of biting into an apple. The sky is that bold, rich cornflower blue, and yellow is gracing the tips of green leaves all around. September through mid-November is my favorite time of the year, partly because I love the splashes of beautiful hues, the hot chocolate with bookoos of marshmallows, the hearty meals with cheesy goodness, cute jackets with jeans and that rustling sound when you walk down the sidewalk-it's the sound that lets you know the earth is alive and well (even if it is in transition). Here are a few lines from one of my favorite poems, "The Sound of Trees" by Robert Frost:

"Why do we wish to bear Forever the noise of these More than another noise So close to our dwelling place?"

Besides the beauty and wonderfulness that autumn brings, it also escorts flu season and allergy colds. If you didn't already know, I'm terribly phobic of getting sick. And I try not to, but I tend to hold teensy weensy grudges toward the people that do make me sick, I can't help it. Last week, I was supposed to get my haircut, but my girl Erin (I call her "Erin Haircut") called me and told me that both of her kids had swine flu and that we'd have to reschedule for two days later. At first I agreed to this accommodation, but then I freaked myself out that she'd be carrying H1N1, called her up and told her I was freaked out about it, and we canceled. Sigh.....and I really needed that haircut, too.

Java Lady also got sick last week, and the doctor told her that she either had a sinus infection or...........H1N1, duh Duhn DUHN! So she started feeling better immediately and we thus decided that she had a sinus infection. Being in the Real World is a tricky situation when one person gets sick in the office. For instance, Java Lady had a cough, one of the partners had a cough, the office manager was feeling icky, etc. So everybody has been popping Vitamin C like we're addicted to it, and I've been Airborning my self to death. The office manager is awesome and follows the sickly around with a can of Lysol and sprays door handles, the handrail of the staircase, phone receivers, etc.

This past weekend, I went to Lebanon, and my fam and I went to a wedding reception for some family friends on Saturday....While I enjoy these events, I cannot help but obsessively concentrate on the fact that they're a breeding ground for colds and the flu. Needless to say, the groom's grandmother waddled right over to our table and hovered over Mom and I with a terrible cold, and I could feel her spit hitting me while she talked to us. Well, what do you know, at around 9:00 p.m. that night, I suddenly felt all congested and started coughing a little bit. And now M is feeling ill-ish also. It all points back to a great Seinfeld episode: "The Close Talker." Why do people insist upon doing this? Thanks a lot, Grandma.