C-r-i-s-p. Crisp. What does crisp mean?

The weather is rainy and cold. Is it really fall? Where are my crispy* leaves? I'm having a hard time believing we haven't skipped that and gone straight to the dreaded "W" word. Shiver.
Things continue in nearly the same way the have over the past few months. I'm still getting used to the library. I feel more at home in it every day. There are moments when I think, "I remember how scary this place look when I was here for my interview." Nothing is nearly as scary as I thought it would be back then. There are times when I think that I've "arrived" - which is to say, that I've been here long enough to know slightly more than the student workers, but not as much as an actual staff member. Don't worry. Any pride associated with the thought of "arriving" is usually knocked down shortly after.
All of this rain is good for something, though. The water-table was greatly depleted in my hometown leading to the request from my mother that I NOT bring laundry home with me on the weekends. Let me just say that I am super glad that water problem is over! The copious amounts of rain seen in my local town revealed a leak in my apartment. Joyous. But, better now than later when it's a leak made worse by snow. It was supposed to get fixed today, but my guess is that it hasn't because it rained last night/ this morning. The workers might complain that there is, again, too much wet to do any work. Maybe I will be surprised when I get home today. Add that to the joys of being in charge of one's own living space.
Living alone, however, isn't horrible. Many people ask me if I have a roommate and are shocked when I reply, "Nope. It's just me." I'm usually glad it's only me. I'm not the "domestic goddess" that loves to entertain or keep a spotless house. However, the more I get used to my place and the more I start to realize that I am finally (becoming) the grown-up I always "wanted" to be, the more I try to keep my house in better order and cook well for myself. I bought herbs the other day. My pasta dish would have been just fine with out some basil. But the fact that I had some, made me enjoy it more.
I'm sure I still don't do everything right. I'm sure I still waste time, put off cleaning, cooking and generally tidying up because "I can." But I think I'm doing a better job. And for today, that is enough.
* I was reading a book about fall with one my favourite six-year-old girls this past Monday night. She got to this word and stumbled a bit, with the attempt sounding more like "crips" than "crisp." We finally got it right...which prompted the question, "What does "crisp" mean?" I looked out the window to the dark, rainy night. Nothing out there said "crisp" to me. I think I told her something like, "You know when the wind is blowing, and it's only a little bit cold? And there are leaves on the ground that crunch when you walk on them? That is crisp."