With Rick away on business for the next week, I find myself watching movies that I queued up on purpose with his absence in mind.

I was watching an old B&W 1947 movie tonight and was struck by some differences that just stood out to me.

1) Everyone was in a suit (even women) to attend a picnic. Cary Grant had holes in his dress trousers by the end of the sack race. Silly man.

2) Men wore their trousers high waisted where their bellies protruded underneath their belts and sometimes made them look hollow backed. Today you would never see a man with the waist band of his trousers up around his mid-section. How fuddy-duddy-ish. Like Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. Oh no, today if you have a big belly, the waist band goes underneath all that so as to make the trouser size smaller. Why haven’t women thought of that trick?

Clothing seemed so structured. I can’t imagine walking around strapped into a corset and suit from morning till night. No jeans, no sweatshirts. Please! I like to let it all hang out once I come home. Okay, so I never said I was June Cleaver. Not me. Well, maybe a bodice would be nice being the Renaissance girl that I am ...

From 1947 and B&W, I went to 1979 and ALIEN. It looks dated to my eyes of today with their “Mother” computer spewing out binary code. How archaic does that look? But, that’s all we knew back then; bits and bytes. God Sigourney Weaver looked so young ... and they called their fellow crew member a “robot” instead of the android that he was. Geez.

Other observations include the fact that our pool is DONE. Its temperature has bottomed out. No swimming; no way. I “saved” a tiny frog the other day, but I’m not entirely certain he was very appreciative of my saviour expertise. I just didn’t want him in the pool and not able to get out on his own. Frogs and moles “swimming” belly-up are not my favorite thing to find in the pool. Next week it will be closed for the season, which is sad considering how little we used it this year. Not a good pool year. Bummer.

The trees are starting to change. Squirrels are busily knocking acorns down from high atop the oak branches. Those trees that aren’t physically showing color have lost their fill for the year, looking pallid and washed out.

Tonight I think the sun set in what seemed like one half hour earlier than yesterday. I know that’s not possible, but it seemed so to me.

The seasons and times; they are a-changin’.