down memory lane

I am cleaning up my den and desk

    I started at 3.....and it is now 9:30.
    I get distracted.
    It's not just dusting and vacuuming, it's sorting through papers, tossing what I don't need.
    For instance, went to France in 2011 and kept every map and piece of paper I ran across.  Tonight, I tossed it.  Well, I did keep a map.  Did the same with the summer of 2012.  All gone.
    Tossed some pictures that were on the shelf.  Filed some papers.  Played solitaire on the computer.  Had tea.
    I ran across this little gem.
    I was at a workshop for writing as part of the language arts curriculum.  We were given something like 5 minutes to write something, using the four square system.  (Teachers of a certain age will remember that!)
    I was in a Sinatra mood.
    Here goes:
           Frank Sinatra croons, "And now my days are short, I'm in the autumn of my years...."
          Autumn brings out the song in me for several reasons.
          Autumn means a break from summer's heat, a burst of colors from nature's palette and adds a sense of urgency to life.
          Gone is summer's heat.  Chilly nights, cool days, signal the change of seasons.  The crispness of the air invigorates the soul and mind.
          Nature's colors illuminate the once dark green forest.  Oak's reds, maple's oranges and poplar's yellows dominate the woodland scene.  Thousands of brown heads, each a different hue, bob on the prairie landscape.
         "The days are short," Sinatra sings.  Paint the screens  before winter, finish the landscaping  before the frost.  50 looms and dreams are left unfilled.
         The song ends, the sands are low, winter creeps into our bone3s.
         Autumn is my favorite season.
    Notice.....50 looms.  I am now 68!!  THAT'S how long you keep crap!!
   Maybe I'll finish the room tomorrow.