The Conversation: Autumn Bliss

"If you cannot think of anything appropriate to say you will please restrict your remarks to the weather or the state of the roads." This is the advice given to the youngest Dashwood daughter, Margaret, who wished to speak of other things. If polite company speaks of neither religion nor politics then in California the state of the roads is not a safe topic as the complaint of potholes is too likely to lead to politics. That leaves us with the weather. I correspond with people in various places of both the country and the globe and I find that the weather is a natural topic of conversation. And why shouldn't it be? Weather is one thing we are assured to have in common. Whatever it may be like on any particular day we all have weather. 

A common theme, particularly with my California correspondents, is Autumn weather and how glad we are to finally have it. Autumn comes very late to much of California and there are some who will even tell you that summer lasts right up till Halloween. So, with a cooling of the temperatures and a promising crispness in the air we talk excitedly about pulling sweaters out of closets and of drinking hot apple cider. If only I had a fireplace! Perhaps you do and I wish you many hours of enjoyment before it.

Isn't Autumn wonderful? Letter writers think so!