Changes. Part the Second

It's colder here today, so I ran downstairs to get some of TinyTuna's warmer clothes. I grabbed a pile of jeans and sweatpants. *Sigh* Hello Salvation Army. Please enjoy all these clothes that don't fit. Keep in mind, I buy things big. Way, way, WAY too big. And TinyTuna in new clothes? She looks a bit silly because they're huge. Too bad I say. I want them to have a prayer of lasting one complete season before they're too small. She is wearing pants today that last year were a good 3 inches longer than her legs. Today? They're a perfect fit. This means they might last until Christmas.

The weather here definitely says Autumn. It's been much cooler the past few days, and the leaves are starting to change and fall. I used to hate Fall because it was the season of impending doom....Snow, cold, slush, cold, slush, slush, black dirty grimy driven on snow, slush. You understand. I'm not so fatalistic now, but there is nothing more depressing than a naked tree. Now a naked tree coating with a thin pristine layer of snow is gorgeous, but a bare naked tree? Bleah.

Elsewhere in the land of changes. I've been following with great interest and concern the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel. The Tunas at large vacation annually in Hatteras, NC. We drive past all of the commercial yucky parts and go to Hatteras Village, which is at the very, very end of the Island. Our house is about 1/4 mile from the ferry which takes you over to Ocracoke Island. Well, Hatteras got hit badly, especially Hatteras Village. In fact, Hatteras Village is currently it's own island, as the hurricane created a new inlet joining the ocean to the sound. Several businesses were totally destroyed, and there has been fairly massive devastation to the infrastructure. Because Hatteras is so remote, and getting down there is darn near impossible at the moment, they aren't getting much coverage on the national news. Besides, I think TPTB think it is more relevant to show the flooding damage in historic Alexandria. I guess people can relate to the horror of a soggy Ben and Jerry's Ice cream store. Hatteras folk are resilient, though, and we are keeping the community in our thoughts as they face change far more severe than naked trees and too-small-clothes.