Some Signs of Winter

1) On campus the men have started wearing their hoodies and the women their Ugg boots.

2) I have been informed by those who know such things that it is now acceptable to wear corduroy pants.

3) I have again begun searching for a winter coat. The one I have enjoyed for the past five winters at least, and which I am loathe to give up, is a cashmere garment that was a gift from my dear friend who purchased it for a dollar from a Thrift Sale. It has now been worn beyond repair. And so I must wonder: do I want a pea coat or am I too old and stodgy for one? Shall I purchase a long coat on line or go to the store and shop in person? Should I choose a traditional navy or black model? Single or double breasted? Wool or a blend? Thus far the number of decisions I need to make has kept me from making any decision. I am wearing a great many of my sweaters.

4) As for these sweaters: apparently over the past Spring and Summer some creature or creatures have been feasting on my winter wear. I am asking, how big must the hole be before the sweater is no longer able to be worn? Once, when I was in college I traded a very lovely sweater for a very ripped one because I thought that wearing the torn sweater would enhance my presence and sense of hipness. It didn’t, actually, and fortunately the winters there weren’t too cold.

5) The leaves in the trees have withered and died. The brilliance of the Fall foliage has faded, and the trees outside my windows stand quite bare and forlorn.

6) Even the Japanese beetles and box elders have disappeared. Of course, their absence can also be attributed to the ocean of insecticides I sprayed about the doors and windows. I guess I could have better tolerated them if they politely remained outside my domicile, but they hover and flit about the portals, and once they have entered the home they cover the walls and ceilings and are only removed with the long attachment on the vacuum cleaner. It is broken.

7) The company that plows our driveway—and more recently the path to Walden—sent us this year’s higher prices for our signature.

8) The air conditioning system at the University that took the summer to repair is now fully operable, and the heating unit has been taken off line for the winter.

9) Today, the weather person warned that conditions out West make snow possible as soon as next week, and the lady at the dry cleaners became the first to complain that winter is upon us.