Yesterday, as I was running Lunken, I felt like the sun was shining to spite me. The changing leaves twinkled and winked, mocking my melancholy. "A fresh wind and bright sky to enjoy my suffering." I was angry with myself for not enjoying the fall in its precious fleeting beauty. I had plans - drive to Spring Grove Cemetery for a stroll, read one of my books out on my back deck until the late afternoon chill would drive me inside, clean out my car, cut the grass, sweep the fallen leaves and water my mom's newly planted hostas.

Instead, after my shower, my only desire was to climb into bed, pull the covers over my face to block the sunlight and Sleep. If only it would rain.

Thankfully, today was a new day, a gorgeous day and one I could embrace without a wincing pain. Donna and Will allowed me the honor of accompanying them on their yearly pumpkin patch visit, preceded by a mini-hiking trip to Caesar's Creek. It couldn't have been a happier time - meandering through the woods, goofing off with our cameras, finding a box turtle (i love turtles), eating KFC (my stomach may never forgive me), petting a pair of sweet little burros ( not to forget the llamas and sheep and that one insistent goat working the crowd for feed), taking a hayride to a field (I mean, "patch") of pumpkins as far as the eye can see, and picking the perfect pumpkin...

It's a relief to find that cloudy days have nothing to do with the weather and that good friends carry in the sunshine with them.