The days are getting shorter, but for Rebecca they feel longer.

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the smell of fall, I love the Halloween decorations, and for some reason, even the football games -- and I've never liked football -- are kind of comforting now. At least, now that we live several blocks away from my old high school, and not across the street from it (one of the many things that I don't miss about living with Mom). The traffic and the stadium lights were horrible at her house on game nights, but from our apartment, the distant sounds of the game are nice to listen to when I'm walking Sable at night. When I walked him this morning, it was almost cold. Soon it'll be pecan season too; I see so many branches full of pecans when I'm on my bike, but they're not ripe yet. I can't wait till it's time to make pecan pie muffins again.

I've set two new ringtones on my cell phone. One is the Emerald City March from Return to Oz, just for when Sara calls me, and one is the theme music to Law & Order: SVU, for when everyone else calls me. I really need to set a ringtone just for Mom, but I haven't decided what yet. I went to her house for dinner last night, and today at work I had to keep running to the bathroom.

I really, really want to "sprinkle the table with buttons and bran" for my birthday party (a la the coolest line from the awesome musical number in Phoebe in Wonderland; don't ask me why), but the only person I know who keeps spare buttons around is Grandma, and I would be sprinkling them on her table, and Sara say she already thinks I'm crazy enough, which is true. Maybe I can do it on our table here.