The sun shines differently in August. A little softer. A little slower. Like it knows what’s coming

Another month gone.
End of August hits, and here come the Facebook memes about the brrr months starting.
September brings fall, and I’m not ready for it.
I'm not ready for the cold and the dark and sad days that are sure to follow.

Well, we can't stop time, can we?
It keeps moving right on whether we’re ready or not.

With my seasonal depression, I wish I could move to a warmer state, although I don't know if that would actually help or not.
It wouldn't help that October brings back sad memories that will stay with me no matter where I go.

Badger went to her weekly appointment, so I had the house to myself for a bit.
Being alone for a couple of hours gives me time to think, which doesn’t always end well.

Badger brought home a pumpkin spice frozen coffee from Dunkin’ for me.
A nice goodbye to summer.

Yeah, I get it, fall isn’t officially here for another month.
But hey, it’s almost September, school’s back, so let’s just call it fall.

Badger isn’t really into pumpkin spice, so she wasn’t too happy when the Dunkin’ worker handed her the coffee and asked her to try it since they weren’t sure if they’d actually added the pumpkin flavor.
She didn’t have much choice and just hoped the employee wouldn't have tried it herself if Badger wasn’t there.
It was a bit more bitter than usual, but I’m fairly certain the employee remembered the pumpkin.

Badger and I had doughnuts and coffee; Cowboy skipped the coffee and just had a doughnut before disappearing outside, while Badger headed to Raven's room.

It took Badger several coats of paint to hide the crayon and keep that door from looking splotchy, though she’s got it looking good for now.
I told her I don't really like having a black bedroom door in that tiny, dark hallway.
But when you’re trying to cover crayon and car grease, you do what you have to do.

While she had the paint out, she covered her boring white door with leftover cranberry from the front door.
She calls it red; I call it fuchsia with a hint of purple.
She likes it, so it doesn't matter, even if her room is yellow and blue.

Now comes the boring cleaning‑up part ’cause the hallway is a mess.

I did some laundry, played on the computer, watched TV, and burned dinner, which is why Badger does all the cooking now.
Eh, it was still edible, just a bit crunchier than taco meat should be.

Before long, Cowboy headed off to work.

Badger mostly hung out in the hall between the bedrooms, painting, while I kept popping in and out of the living room.
Occasionally, I'd go check on Badger.
She wouldn’t let me do anything, but I offered moral support and pointed out missing spots.

Heron came back from his girlfriend’s house and mowed down the garden.
That’s another sign of fall coming.
The corn is still up, but everything else is gone.

Tomorrow I’ll have to clear my solar gee-gaws from the she-shed flower bed so Heron can mow it down.
Between his job, his back, and visiting his girlfriend, he wasn't able to keep up with it this year, and since Badger and I don’t really know much about flowers and aren’t really up for keeping a big garden going, it’s mostly just tall weeds with a few flowers popping up.
Once the gee-gaws are in the shed, there's really no need to put them back out.

Badger is going to have to sleep on the couch tonight.
The whole house reeks of paint, but it’s especially strong in her room.