It's Better in Wyoming.

I headed down to Greeley this weekend to visit my sister. Turns out, I'm going to be an uncle. A funny thing: I'd never thought about becoming an uncle before. I've imagined that someday my sister and Joel would have kids, but I never realized that, when they did, I'd become an uncle. How odd. But exciting! I'm going to be an uncle!

I think winter may be approaching. Snow started falling Saturday night (after a rainy, lightning-delayed homecoming game in the afternoon) and came down in big downy flakes through midday Sunday. Not much stuck to the ground; it was warm enough that it mostly created a wet muck of leaves in the gutters and a grey denseness in the sky. Today it was warmer--warm enough by ten that I could head across campus in my sweater, no coat--but the air is shifting and the frost, as they say, is on the pumpkin. I'm not sure I'm ready for the new season. I'm optimistic that we're still a good several weeks from bitter cold and inches of winter, but the shorter days are leaving a mark. I feel in my body less energy and a slipping of spirit. Sometimes the briskness revives me, but I wish already for more sun. Tomorrow I'll head to the hills to soak up some late fall rays.

So I admit that it was frustrating for the main streets both east and west of the house to be under construction at the same time. It's hard to make a turn north onto Grand when you're not at a stop light, especially because coming off the side streets the trees really block the view. Sometimes I just stepped on the pedal and said a prayer as I pulled out onto Grand: "Please God, don't let me die by getting rammed into by an old lady in a station wagon who is fumbling in her purse as she's driving down the road and not paying attention to me trying to get out into the street. Please God, don't let me get crushed by some sorority girl driving her boyfriend's truck with the six-inch lift kit who's talking on the phone and not paying attention to the road ahead. Please God, don't let me get hit by a garbage man driving down Grand." That was my prayer, or something like it. But, on the other hand, while 9th St. was blocked off I had the chance