The Saddest Day of the Year

Mid-November. Leaves down. Cold nights. Brisk days. Time changed to Daylight Savings Time.

Each of those signs point to the Saddest Day of the Year. That’s the day when my husband (Al) closes up his Man Cave.

The Man Cave is fabulous in the spring, summer, and fall. When we are home, we typically take our dinner down the spiral staircase to The Cave. We have watched golf...baseball...and, especially, football on the TV installed there. And we have hosted many gatherings with friends and neighbors.

It’s a great location during a rain storm, when we open up the big, latticework doors and watch drops dance off of the lake. It also is great on blistering hot days because the temperature stays moderate, no matter the heat.

This fall neighbors—still COVID conscious and glad for the open-air atmosphere—have joined us in The Cave for Browns games. Everyone brings something—from snacks to pizza to wings to soup to desserts.

AND...our next door neighbor has perfected his Jello Shots so there can be mini celebrations each time the Browns score a point.

To say that we enjoy Al’s Man Cave is an understatement, as those who have joined us there can attest.

But all good things come to an end, and mid-November is the time when Al moves everything inside (furniture, decorations, etc.) to higher ground (on top of the bar) and slaps boards across the front to keep the winter wind from blasting everything into a cold, hard freeze.

This year, that day was November 9.

Next April or early May (depending on the weather) we will celebrate the Gladdest Day of the Year—the day when Al opens it all back up again.