Fall Rains

September and October are the rainiest months for us, with a long term average of 6” of rain for the two months. For the past 5 days, we’ve been in that fall rains pattern for a total of 2” of rain. This morning, more of the same. Cool, windy, rainy. When picking out a shirt for today, I took a dark, long-sleeve shirt. I hadn’t started wearing the muted fall.winter colors yet, but today seemed like a good day to start. Can’t quite go sweaters. Not winter yet, but definitely fall. For me, the rainy fall season is in-between time of year. Too late for hiking, cycling, paddle sports. Too early for XC skiing. Too muddy to get in the garden for the last of the fall cleanup. It is a good time for catching up on some fun reading, though. I just finished two novels placed in the UP. South of Superior was a nice, slice-of-life about people getting new starts and learning to live with themselves in a small town on the east side of Lake Superior. No murders, just a realistic look at life in a place that some people have figured out how to make a go of it. In real life, the novelist owns a diner with her husband in Grand Marais. The other book, the Truth About Fire, took place at “Keweenaw U” in Houghton where a history prof gets entangled with a world-spanning racist plot. It’s an exciting page-turner. Several murders and a good deal of bed hopping give way to true love. In real life the author is a prof in the northeastern US. Both books feature the UP sense-of-place well. I recommend them. Rainy days are also good for getting caught up on inside chores and getting the supplies needed for them. When we lived out in one particular rural area out west, the local small town would increase in size on rainy days as ranchers and farmers took advantage of the break from outside work to go get things done in town. I have not noticed any increase in activity in the Soo on rainy days. Rains here are common enough that not everyone uses the same rainy day to go to town. A few more rainy days are in the forecast, then clear and cool. Pretty soon, sweaters will be the fashion.