I thought fall was going to take care of our hot weather but it is still hot and humid at my house. Yesterday it was in the 90's and today it is now in the high 80's (F) with high humidity. Showers have been popping us around us and a few have dropped a bit of moisture on our yard. Always welcome, but it does make the humidity go up!

• Today was class day -- Again, I had 3 students, all Spanish speakers. My Korean student called to say that she was not feeling well and wanted to stay home. Of course, I said that would be fine. We are all trying to avoid people who don't feel well to avoid spreading the flu in this area.
• In class we studied naming customs, specifically those involving people getting married. There are many customs about brides taking or not taking the last name of their new husbands. I took my husband's last name when we were married and all of my friends did the same when they married. However, that is not the custom in all of the world. I think that there are many countries, especially Asian countries, where the woman does not adopt the last name of her husband.
• What did you do when you married? Did you take your husband's last name or did you keep your birth name? Why? Did your wife take your last name?
• We also talked about colors -- For instance, what colors are traditional wedding colors?....funeral colors?....do clothing colors change seasonally?, etc. It was an interesting conversation. In the USA white has been a traditional wedding color for many years. Today's weddings, however, may have a bride wearing beige, or some other color. There are now black and white weddings where one or more of the wedding party wears black. I spoke with a woman in a local fabric store, who was looking for black buttons to put down the back of a white wedding gown. The bridesmaids were wearing black trimmed in white. Not quite the traditional look, but something that is now often seen. What are wedding colors where you live? Funeral colors?
• My Iranian student has not returned to class this semester. I hope she was able to return to the USA after her recent visit to Iran. There has been some political unrest in her country. I also have some concerns about my Taiwanese student who is visiting Taiwan for 6 months. There has been some severe weather there.
• My thumb is healing and I am now able to use it without pain. I still have to be careful to keep the wound clean, however, as it has not closed. I think I may be left with a small scar following my careless mishap.
• Take care, my blog friends, and please write to tell me about the colors in your world!