Warm, with a hint of cool

That's what the weather felt like to me tonight as I walked to and from our elementary school for a PTA meeting. Warm with a hint of cool is entirely different than cool with a hint of hot, which is what happens in the spring. Right now, the warm with a hint of cool holds the promise of fall and cool evenings and even cooler mornings. It holds the hope that I might just survive my 13th summer here in Austin. I love the fall in Austin; it's my reward for making it through the intolerable summers.

The air smelled so good out as I walked home. I don't know if lots of people have recently mowed their lawns, of if some particular tree is in bloom (which could be the cause of my miserable allergies today) or what, but it just smelled so good. I finished the walk home in such a peaceful mood - at least until I walked in and saw that the dinner dishes were still on the counter. Sigh. In B's defense, he was working pretty much the whole time I was at the meeting.

The PTA meeting also helped my mood. Our nice little school is definitely in transition. The school has a pretty diverse population, with a large percentage of Hispanic and non-native English speakers. Last year the PTA sort of fell apart, for a lot of reasons, but this year's committee is really on the ball and really committed to working with the school and changing a lot of things for the better. One of the goals of the PTA is to get the minority families more involved, and I saw the beginings of it tonight. There was a pot-luck dinner at the school before the meeting, and there were families of all shapes and sizes and colors and ethnicities in attendence. It made me proud of our little school.

The meeting also had the highest member attendance it's had in years, with lots of parents who are new to the school. It's great to see so many new folks coming in to work on making the school a better place. Seeing everyone there reinforced my decision to have the kids attend the neighborhood school. Great things are ahead for Brentwood.

So I'm feeling oddly optomistic tonight, which is rare for me. Fall is coming, and things are looking up.