Staying Apart, Together: Happy first day of fall, such as it is

Happy leaf peeping and sweater weather. Today is the autumnal equinox, also known as the first day of fall. We're officially through lockdown spring and cautiously reopened summer. The fall will likely be defined by how school reopening goes – in person and online – and how we as a country handle the upcoming holidays. 

Back in March, I thought all of this would be over by now, as many of you probably did. My niece or nephew is due in a few weeks, and I anticipated getting on a plane to go see the bundle of joy. I thought Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas would be normal.

The roller coaster of the pandemic forces us to constantly shift expectations and contend with new disappointments. But we can also find new ways to cope. I am thinking of you all as you talk with your own family about plans for the holidays in October, November and December. It's going to be hard, but we're going to get through it.  

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Today's civic responsibility 

Want to register to vote? Today's a good day to do it.

You'll probably be seeing a lot of people online advocating voter registration today, because it's National Voter Registration Day. The drive was created in 2012 and dedicated to “create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities” for thousands of Americans, with the help of an online campaign and volunteers who hit the streets (as much as one can in a pandemic) in a coordinated event, according to the National Voter Registration Day site. The day is a massive effort to register voters before the upcoming elections in the fall. 

So I'll probably be the 1,000th person in your life saying hey, maybe it's a good time to register to vote! USA TODAY has a cool resource to find out if you're registered, if you are unsure of your status. You can check on that here. 

Here are some more resources and stories all about voting. Can't wait to see all your "I voted" stickers!

• When early voting and mail-in voting for president begins in every state.
• Where you can vote by mail. 
• Our comprehensive voting guide. 

Today's vacation at home tip

I loved this idea from one of our readers, David Mugglebee in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the heat wave in California, he and his 9-year-old daughter decided to embrace the warmth and pretended they were in Spain. 

"We made a paella together, feasted for lunch, took a siesta til about 7pm. Enjoyed some downtime, a late dinner, then we got dressed up and "went dancing." Madonna’s "Vogue" was our first song. We eventually made it to a Flamenco “club” (playlist) on Spotify, danced up a storm, then pretended we had tickets to Jim Gaffigan’s late show in Barcelona (on Prime Video). Good food, gorgeous music, great company!"

This is the sweetest thing, I might be tearing up a little. 

How are the rest of you enjoying yourselves at home? I would love to hear more stories like this. Email me at stayingaparttogether@usatoday.com.

Today's reads

• If you're thinking about staying at a hotel during the pandemic, we have insights you should read before you book. My colleague David Oliver stayed at a Hilton, a Marriott and a Hyatt to understand what the safety situation is really like. 
• If you watched Disney's "Mulan" and are interested in other movies featuring Asian stories, Jenna Ryu wrote about 10 films that make her proud of her Asian heritage. 
• More on the Halloween discussion: CDC recommended against trick-or-treating on Tuesday. 
• Read our official NFL power rankings after the most recent games. How is your fantasy league doing? My husband isn't doing so hot...
• Next in our personal finance series: Let's talk insurance needs. 

Today's TV recommendations

For Elaine Moore in Schaumburg, Illinois

Which streaming services do you have?

Amazon Prime 

What shows have you watched in quarantine so far?

“Rookie Blue,” “The Widow,” “Midsomer Murders,“ “Drop Dead Diva,” “The Killing”

What are you favorite shows of all time?

“Blue Bloods,” “White Collar,” “Castle”

Other shows you love?

“The Closer,” “Major Crimes”

You should watch...

If you are a fan of "White Collar," I highly recommend other USA "blue sky" shows that mix comedy with crimes/court cases/spy games/medical problems of the week – "Monk," "Psych," "Burn Notice," "Suits," and "Royal Pains." They're all available on Amazon. "Royal Pains" has a tone most similar to "Collar," and follows a "concierge doctor" serving the rich and famous in the Hamptons. For a traditional crime show, Amazon also has plenty of episodes of "Law and Order: SVU" to keep you busy. 

Today's pet

This is Teddy, a dog who doesn't play by the rules. 

"He's lounging in the living room on a chair that is off limits," says his human Loretta Kane. "He usually spends the day with me in our home office. But on this day, he opted for a change of scenery."

Bold move, Teddy. But a chair that comfy looks like it's worth it. 

That's it for this Tuesday. I will back in your inboxes on Saturday morning. Don't forget to send pet pics, TV recommendation requests and coping tips (and your full name and location) to our new newsletter email address, stayingaparttogether@usatoday.com. I smile every time I check the newsletter inbox. 

All my very best,

Kelly Lawler