AAAAHHHHH!  The long, hot dog days of summer are almost over! The tax holidays have passed and all the children are newly clothed for a brand new school year! Are they happy? Perhaps. Mainly glad for the change of pace. Are the parents happy?  Oh yes!! A couple of “free” hours each day.  No. I take that back. Not free, just full of different obligations: carpools, cookie bakes, etc. No rest for the weary there!!

With the approach of Labor Day – a day on which you are not supposed to labor – there is a definite feeling of evolution. In many parts of the country there is a change of weather causing Mother Nature to begin to slip into a new wardrobe. The light flowery colors of summer mutate into dark yellow, orange, reds and browns. Vegetables, also, follow the same pattern: summer squash evolves into acorn squash, peaches into apples, watermelon into plums and so forth. Speaking of food, let’s not leave out the popular family picnic gathering: barbecue burgers and dogs, roasted corn on the cob, Mom’s homemade potato salad, fresh fruit, watermelon seed spitting contests, touch football and complete exhaustion.

About football, Heaven forbid that we should forget the beginning of THE season!! Classic rivalries are renewed and boisterous gatherings become a weekly occurrence. Fast food and snack food (and beer) are the “order of the day” for Saturdays.  Fun times, disappointment, frustration, elation but always good friendships and camaraderie.

What are you looking forward to this Fall?  Cooler weather? A trip to a new place? A reunion with “old” friends or family? Perhaps a new intellectual adventure or learning a new craft. Maybe pursuing a childhood dream on an adult level. Picking up a new skill like actually PLAYING music and not just listening, painting that gorgeous picture locked in your head.

As the saying goes: “The world is your oyster” and your will is the oyster knife!!