Technically the autumnal equinox arrives on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 9:04 P.M.EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. Reportedly the equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. For my purposes however today is the first day of autumn. I’ve always associated the first day of autumn with the 21st of the month.  Besides the breeze and the balmy air are today unsurpassable. Following this morning’s constitutional bicycle ride throughout the neighbourhood and along the former B&O railway line to Carss Street and back, I positioned myself in a comfortable but admittedly lifeless metal armchair on the garden patio facing directly into the midday sun. There I sunbathed and dozed uninterrupted (except by the commotion of the grounds keepers going about their duties) for an half hour.

au·tumn| ˈôdəm | noun mainly British the third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall, in the northern hemisphere from September to November and in the southern hemisphere from March to May: the countryside is ablaze with colour in autumn | [as modifier] : autumn leaves| figurative : he was in the autumn of his life. • Astronomy the period from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French autompne, or later directly from Latin autumnus.

Meanwhile we’re consumed by the approaching necessity to move from here to our new digs across the river. There is no difficulty surrounding the objective other than that the new place is not yet constructed; or, more poignantly, an occupancy certificate has yet to be issued by the Chief Building Official of the municipality before the property manager has authority to open the doors and elevators for our designated purpose.

Again today – as we did yesterday – we devoted considerable time and energy to connecting with the many offices which require notice of our change of address. As usual the predominance of our efforts surrounded matters relating to our Bell accounts (TV, internet and mobile phones) which we are accustomed to manipulate annually during our winter absence.

On the broader level of the entire apartment building I tried today to extract some intelligence from the municipal building department but they’re apparently in the same position as we; namely, awaiting progress by the developer and its tradesmen.  At least my subsequent “drive by” today confirmed the increasing tidiness of the construction site.  There was a host of trucks parked on both sides of the street fronting the property. From this I concluded the trades are hard at work upon the interior exigencies.  The external brickwork has lately progressed noticeably though today it was at a standstill.

All the agents of the developer have led us to believe that the November 1st occupancy date is a serious goal.  We’ve adopted the prospective that we’ll move into the unit immediately when possible but delay hanging pictures, settling precise furniture locations, etc. until the spring when we return. The exact insurance arrangements have been delayed for several weeks pending determination of the precise occupancy date.

Moving is something with which I am well familiar. Unlike my dear late mother who repeatedly characterized moving as a moment of decline, I however see it as an invitation for discovery and renewal. The digestible nature of moving oddly means I haven’t any particular attraction to material objects, the force and utility of which I regularly associate only with their past application. Furniture gets scuffed and marked; oil or acrylic paintings become faded from sunshine; crystal and porcelain show signs of aging and use; rugs become dirty and stained. In sum, the material world is seldom more attractive than my corresponding decomposition. There are as a result but few ingredients to which I maintain a lingering attachment.  We have for example already purchased a number of new furnishings in anticipation of the move; and, discarded the others. Still others are yet awaiting removal from the ultimate scene.

Though in this current enterprise we are once again “downsizing” I am nonetheless resisting any immediate abandonment of most furnishings until I at least see what works in the new place. We haven’t hit the sparsity of an Upper Manhattan studio apartment. We know for example that our apartment faces upriver to the Village of Appleton. My hope is to establish a working outlook from which to handle my customary desk operations which now focus upon my laptop computer.  Though I still have the Mont Blanc diplomat fountain pen stored in the top of my desk, writing by hand is of another generation. Long ago we abandoned the former bulky desk computers and engraved woven writing paper. Everything we now have for writing or reading is designed to complement portability which means accommodation of residence, hotel rooms and winter resorts.  The diminution of our personal household effects is reflected in the painfully slow progress we’ve made to limit our winter apparel to what is needed. Every year we continue to transport mountains of baggage we never use.  It’s partly the product of driving instead of flying.