The autumn busyness is descending upon me again, and I hope I can keep up. Fortunately, my car is healthy again. The horrible noise was created by a slightly bent rotor backing combined with normal sitting-still rust. The garage fixed the backing and charged me nothing. But heavens! What a noise it was! Anyone would have been appalled.

I managed to get a large chunk of work done yesterday--editing, manuscript review--which is good because I now have twice as much editing on my desk, plus class planning today and an all-day curriculum meeting tomorrow. The Monson Arts high school program begins next week, and I am nervous--for no good reason, I guess. Just the usual jitters about the unknown. I expect the kids are nervous too.

I've been reading Alice Munro's Runaway, a 2004 collection that includes a number of stories I've never seen before, though I thought I'd read just about everything she's written. And I have two poem collections in my stack: Ilya Kaminsky's Deaf Republic and Leah Umansky's The Barbarous Century.   There's a frost advisory tonight, though I have a hard time believing that coastal Portland will be hit this early. Still, it's possible we have reached the end of the summer garden. Farewell, bounty.