Sleeves

SLEEVES OF APPROPRIATE LENGTH

I love Fall. If for no other reason than the fact that I can now go back to wearing shirts that have sleeves. I once had a friend tell me I have too many cardigans. Blasphemy! You can never have too many cardigans. Ever. 

First of all, I have terrible looking arms. I'm not saying that so that you can then tell me I actually have pretty arms (really). I am also not terribly concerned about it and/or looking for free dermatological advice or skin care. I just think we all have things about ourselves we think are mediocre or just not great. My arms are not great. So summer is a little unbearable for me. I apply the lotions with bronzer. I exfoliate. I attempt push-ups. Still, somehow, the results are not good. I look like a woman in her 60's with a skin rash. 

I once worked at a place that was constantly 85 degrees. I complained to the management. The manager looked at me and said "Just wear a tank top!" All bright and cheery like that would just solve the problem. I told her that, first of all, that's a mean thing to do to the other employees, they shouldn't have to look at these ghastly pale arms of mine.  And secondly, this is America, the land of proper ventilation and air conditioning. Is proper ventilation really just too much to ask for? She did not seem impressed with what was obviously a very logical argument on my part. (I'll never know if it was revenge or not, but she proceeded to buy us a fan that was meant for industrial warehouses. You turned it on and were knocked to the floor by the gust. We used it once, then gave up.)  I wound up wearing very odd shirts in an effort to both have sleeves and not appear sweaty. It was not exactly a good phase in my life style wise. It's a good thing I was already engaged at that point. Husband hunting in those outfits would not have worked out well. 

The thing is, not only am I not a tank top person, I'm not really a summer person either. Summer just feels wrong to me. I'm bookish, and bookish people like the cold. It's in our nature. We want to be bundled up with a book, in a chair, with a blanket, wearing a sweater with sleeves that are of an appropriate length. 

So thank you, Fall, for showing up with your lovely leaves and mild temperatures. My arms and I really appreciate it.