I Like Autumn - Now

It has finally rained. All summer long, we begged for a break from that record heat. Fires burned out of control as temperatures soared. The relief was palpable this week when, finally, mornings were chilly there was a little moisture in the air.

Autumn is truly a lovely time. I used to hate it.

I think it's because I really, intensely, hate winter. I hate having to wear a lot of clothes. I have having to put a coat on just to take out the trash. I hate the prospect of driving through ice and snow. I hate the endless darkness, long nights, and general absence of sun.

The fall used to remind me that an awful winter was sure to follow. But something's changed the past couple of years.

Winters are shorter than they used to be, or at least because of my advanced age, everything goes faster.

I've also developed some winter coping strategies such as going to Southern California during the worst of it. Joining a gym so I could exercise inside no matter what the temperature also helped - though I have to pile on the layers of clothing just to get there.

 Winters are also not as cold as they used to be.  Climate change has raised the average temperature. Not that I'm in favor of climate change, but can I help it if I like the occasional warm winter day?

Should I buy an e-reader?

When it comes to technology, I'm no slouch, but I'm also not the first on my block to try the newest electronic anything. I didn't get cable until about 20 years after everyone else and that was only basic. My phone is only of reasonable intelligence (it's not smart, in other words), and I don't have an iPad. I do have an iPod, but it's big and clunky compared to the kind they make now. I only just got digital TV and blue ray. I still don't know what blue ray is, but I have it.

One area where I'm decidedly low tech is the books I read: traditional paper bound volumes. I should get some tech credit for searching for and reserving books from the public library on line. But I still cart around one to three heavy tomes in my back pack on any given day.

I always have a book with me. I'm terrified of being someplace where I have to sit with nothing to read. What if I take someone to the dentist and have to wait? What if my car breaks down and I have to sit in a garage for hours? What if the electricity goes off and I can't watch TV or go on the net?

Naturally I've noticed the growing popularity of electronic reading. Kindle and Nook readers are everywhere and people swear by them. So I'm starting to consider getting one.

The advantages are obvious: carrying around multiple books without being weighed down, downloading books practically anywhere you can connect wirelessly, lower cost per book, and the availability of newspapers and other reading material.

Of course one must consider the downside: I would surely drop and break an ereader and the cost per book is still more than the library, which is free.

But the biggest argument against it for me is this: If you have a Kindle, you must buy all your books from Amazon and if you have a Nook, you have to buy all your books from Barnes and Noble. I'd rather buy books from a local independent bookseller such as The Tattered Cover (three metro Denver locations). I think you can buy from TC using a non-affiliated ereader, but see, it's starting to sound pretty complicated.

A lot of people say they'd rather feel the weight of the book in their hand and turn the paper pages. That's not me. I'd be fine not having to turn the page of a book only to discover a ketchup smear from a long forgotten fast food lunch.

Many people pride themselves on having book covered walls, in owning millions of books. I used to collect books, but found that they collect, in turn, dust.

I imagine I'll eventually make the leap to paperless reading. It just takes me longer than some. And once I figure out how to download material from the Tattered Cover, I'll be more than half way there.