Ahh … cooler weather

Published 1:25 pm Monday, September 25, 2006

By By Lisa Tindell
News writer

I don't know about you folks out there, but Wednesday and Thursday of this past week were some of the most beautiful, enjoyable days I've seen in many months.
Blue skies, light breezes and temperatures that didn't pass 85 degrees. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but when I remember what the bottom line on my electric bill has been over the past few months, that drop in temperatures nearly had me jumping for joy!
I realize the price of generating electricity has crept up just like everything else. We must keep in mind that some of our power plants generate electricity by gas-fired means. That alone explains the rise in the cost of electricity. Anytime you pay $3 for a gallon of gasoline, it only stands to reason that you're gonna pay more for electricity. I accepted that. I did set my thermostat a few degrees higher during these hot months. If it helped out in the cost of my power bill, I certainly am thankful.
At any rate, my air conditioning system didn't run at all on Wednesday night and very little on Thursday as a result of the temperature drop.
As a matter of fact, I even wore a pair of pants that went all the way down to my ankles. I even wore a pair of closed-toed shoes. That's pretty amazing since I have worn capri's, shorts and sandals since sometime in March.
I've made the comment in this space before how much I like cool/cold weather. My theory is that you can always put on enough clothes to stay warm, but it's hard to take off enough to get cool.
These cool days and nights have me remembering my childhood with fondness. I remember knowing that seeing lightning bugs was a sure sign of fall. And it always seemed like the first weeks of fall was the perfect time to a good afternoon of Red Rover or Mother May I followed by a peanut boiling or some such family event.
A few weeks ago when the first games of the football season were being played, I remember thinking that we had a football blanket in the closet for a reason. But when the first game found the temperatures in the upper 80s, I couldn't, for the life of me, remember when the last time was that I was able to use it.
Although this Friday night's games didn't require the use of a blanket, it was a little cooler and you could certainly feel a little touch of fall in the air.
That reminds me, I have a sign for the season that I need to get out of the shed and put up in my yard. It expresses my ideas about the season pretty well