There is no better way to begin October than to spend the first day dodging raindrops. The first day of October should be the day you realize that boots are in fact a necessity. Scarves and sweaters become a wardrobe staple. And now your thermos serves not only as a tea-carrier but as a hand-warmer.

And, lo and behold, your breath comes in billows of fog that curl up to warm your nose before dissipating into the grey air. For a moment, you pretend to be a dragon. Admit it, you do.

Some comment on the dreariness of the day, but my kindred spirits out there know the glory of a day of puddles and greyness and biting winds. The harder the wind tries to gnaw your nose off, the warmer it feels inside when you finally settle in for a cup of coffee and a book (even if it is that cement-block textbook for Objective-C you’re trying to learn!).

Today was a Matcha Latte Day. MLDs are the days that herald the biting blue-sky days of early autumn, when gallivanting through crunchy leaf-piles becomes absolutely necessary. Those are chin-tucked-in-collar, hands-in-pockets, sweater-and-boots kinds of days. Matcha Latte Days require matcha (of course!), or soup, or possibly cake, just by way of celebration. They require fiddle tunes and soft piano; heavy blankets and a lackluster attitude about what your hair looks like. Matcha Latte Days are heralds of happiness now and happiness to come when the sun finally comes out and the air is as crisp as the first bite of a granny smith.

Thank heavens autumn is finally here.