Beginnings of endings

Things are winding down... or gearing up, depending on your point of view.

Fall is in the air. The cool mornings of the past few days are a precursor of the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. The day after Labor Day, the holiday season is just a slip and slide away. Scientists have said that the expansion of the universe is slowing from the Big Boom. I have yet to figure out how that relates to the speed-up of time... would explain how the older I get, the faster the days go by. I haven't been inclined to cooking meals... the heat has just not been conducive to hot ovens and steamy pots and pans. I'm looking forward to soups, stews and roasts in the coming weeks... and quick breads and cakes and maybe a pie or two.

My second-oldest granddaughter got her driver's license this week, signaling the end of her childhood and her ascent into adulthood. I managed to keep my advice to two points:
    a) the car has brakes as well as a gas pedal
    b) the car has three rear-view mirrors as well as a windshield
She is a good driver, and she'll gain experience over the coming months. I have little hope that her time on the roads will include limited incidents such as the yahoo who insisted on pulling in front of me the other day. There was no one behind me. What is behind this type of behavior? Ego. God forbid that the driver should be last. But, I digress...

My oldest grandson starts his Senior year in high school in a few days. (They've already taken the Senior pictures!) He's been looking forward to this and he, as well as his younger sisters, are ready for school to start, although they are loathe to admit it.

The plan is in place, the location acquired, and the date set for the From the Heart retreat scheduled in September. I've been looking forward to the retreat since last year's (my first). Along with meeting and greeting other members of the group, we'll be celebrating the 100,000th donation since the group's inception. We've already started on our next 100,000.

Bailey will surely enjoy the cooler weather when it finally sets in. It'll mean more time outside for walks and playtime with his new friend, a Shih Tzu mix named Miss Nellie. Bless his heart, he has to spend so much of his time with just me that he can't contain his glee when we leave our apartment and he gets to see other people. Actually, I can't really call our forays outside as 'walks'... they're mostly 'drags'... him dragging me behind as we make our way along the sidewalks and through the grass lot.