Most of the rest of the country gets all giddy over that vernal celebration called "spring fever." The days get longer and warmer, Dad stows the snow blower for another season, and small children pick the first budding wildflowers of the year.
The inverse is true here in the land of the Endless Summer. Around these parts we like to celebrate Fall Fever," and I think it's finally here.
We had a teasing taste of it during the third week of October when the high temperatures dipped into the 70s for a couple of days. But it didn't last. By Halloween, kids were sweating in their costumes and rifling through candy bags in air conditioned comfort.
Fall Fever is a fickle visitor. I can remember some childhood Thanksgivings when Mom about dropped from the heat, not all of it coming from the kitchen. Another time, me and a high school buddy went swimming in the gulf on Christmas day.
But this year, I think Fall Fever is finally here. All week there were hints of its impending arrival. The blue skies were clear, the air less sponge-like. At dusk you could open a high window and catch what felt like a cool breeze. On Friday morning it was positively brisk.
