OCTOBER
This fall has been way too busy, with lots of travel and being under the weather for a few days. But, today I'm enjoying the fall colors which suddenly appeared a few days ago and will probably not linger for many days.
Unlike most years, we haven't experienced a gradual lowering of daytime temperatures. Last week it reached the eighties. Today there is snow in the mountains. I miss those clear fall days when the air is
bracing and you feel energized for the coming season. This year I've missed hikes in Greenbrier County and greeting this pair of scarecrows on the drive back home.
I've missed taking long walks on the Carriage Trail
that runs from the old C & O
Train Station up to what used to be the Sunrise Children's Museum and Planetarium where I once worked between college and law school. (That was a great job!) I wrote press releases and kept track of traveling suitcase exhibits and even helped with a live animal program that we put on in public libraries throughout the state. I've never been that close to a boa constrictor before or since, thank you very much!
This weekend I was supposed to be at the Kidlitcon bloggers conference in Washington, D.C.,
but unfortunately, I wasn't able to go. I can't tell you how disappointed I was. I'll have to hear about it from fellow bloggers Helen Hemphill and Tami Lewis Brown and be incredibly jealous that I did not get to go. (I'm expecting a full report!)
Next Tuesday I'll be at Daniels Elementary along with fellow children's writers, Anna Smucker, Marc Harshman, Belinda Anderson and Tracy Kincaid. I'll be leading writing workshops with first graders and I'm looking forward to it. We're going to have a great time. Here's a special thank you to the West Virginia Humanities Council
http://www.wvhumanities.org/ whose support makes this event possible. What important work they do!