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Show ::::r7: MaDramntanmi ; by Nan Chalat Suddenly, winter seems a very real possibility When the wind came up Sunday afternoon, it carried an unexpected chill and a very definite taste of winter. I decided not to take any chances and headed straight for the woodpile. First, I had to hunt for the woodbasket and the wedge which had been stashed away since June and the axe was covered with cobwebs. Somewhere, I knew, people were windsurfing and playing tennis, but I was determined to be prepared. The weatherman was predicting snow. The first few swings felt strange, but it wasn't long before it all came back to me, the sharp crack of a well-aimed blow, the dull thud of the blade against a stubborn knot, endless armloads of wood carried into the house to feed a voracious stove. Of course, as soon as I had set the basket beside the stove, the wind stopped and the rest of the evening was balmy. The weatherman retracted his earlier prediction and I felt appropriately foolish. In order not to appear too paranoid Monday morning, I resisted the urge to bundle up and headed out of the house without a jacket. It is sure to warm up, I thought. But it never did warm up Monday afternoon. A dark storm cloud landed on the mountain and sent cold blasts of wintry air down into the valley. Despite the sunshine, everyone was tucking his chin down into his collar and holding his shoulders up close to his ears. The wind whistled through the aspens and knocked the blossoms off the remaining hollyhocks. I longed for my down vest and a pair of mittens. Monday night, I said goodby to the garden and turned in early. The cows were complaining about the cold and a lone coyote howl made me even chillier. Building a fire just seemed like too much work so I plugged in an electric heater instead. Tuesday morning, I looked at the woodbasket and thought long and hard about building the first fire of the season. It is a big commitment, one that is hard to retract once the habit is established. So finally, although my freezing toes thought the idea had a great deal of merit, I opted to postpone the inevitable at least a day longer. But the wheels are in motion. Patches of red scrub oaks are showing up on the mountain and the sidewalks are sprinkled with fallen leaves. Thursday night the full moon will give way to the autumn equinox. For some, the colder weather is inspirational. inspira-tional. They are invigorated by frosty mornings and brisk afternoons. They are also the ones who are already humming Christmas ditties and hoping for snow. But even for the rest of us, the change of seasons inspires a change of routine, a little more activity, and a change of wardrobe. Anticipating this bout of restlessness, several organizations have planned fall lectures, festivals and workshops. Sunday afternoon, the Wasatch Mountain Club is sponsoring a benefit concert for the preservation of 536 acres in Little Cottonwood Cotton-wood Canyon. The acreage at the mouth of the canyon has recently become available for purchase by the U.S. Forest Service. Tickets will be $7 at the door at the Westminster College amphitheater. The concert will feature Connie and the Rhythm Method, the Saliva Sisters, the Jordan River Uptown Band and Amnesia. The music is scheduled to begin at noon and continue through 6 p.m. The Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH) has also released a calendar of "Autumn Adventures" including archeology and photography classes, field trips to watch the hawk and whistling swan migrations, a natural history river trip down the Grand Canyon and a photography field trip to Capitol Reef National Park. UMNH is also offering a series of childrens' classes covering a range of subjects from dinosaurs to microbes. For more information about these classes call 581-6927. |