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.

Unofficially official

Today is the unofficial official first day of Fall in my world... the day after Labor Day and the first day of school for most of the schools in my area. It's always been that way for me. It even feels like Fall to me now. Summer has been HOT here but the nights have started to have a coolness that lets me know the season has changed. I'm breaking my own obedience to the rule "No white after Labor Day"... wearing white pants to go to Meals on Wheels. It feels jarring to me but I want to have a full load of whites to launder before putting them away for next year. The pants will come off and go into the wash basket as soon as I get back home... wearing them just doesn't feel right.

The heat and a dying a/c in my car have kept me inside a lot this Summer, but I'm looking forward to cooler weather, just-picked apples, the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg, and planning another end-of-the-year holiday get-together with my family.

Had wall-to-wall granddaughters this past Saturday night. What fun! And my claustrophobia didn't even kick in. Of course, I know that the draw of staying with me wasn't just my scintillating personality... my high-speed internet and Wi-Fi connections had a lot to do with it. Oh well, I'll take anything that lets me enjoy these girls' company. The great thing is that I know their brothers will stay with me too. For the same reason, of course.

Soup's on

Friday had been overcast with spits of rain and a damp chill in the air... perfect weather to make the first pot of hearty soup of the season. Yum. I love soup and can't seem to make less than a large pot, so I'm still enjoying the beef & vegetables of my labor. I'll probably finish it off today. This time, I used Julia's advice and blotted the beef dry before browning; it made a big difference for the better in the taste of the soup. From now on, I'm a committed blotter-er. Hey... I wonder if it works for steaks and chops, too. (Ya think?)

Sunday (yesterday) turned out to warm (in the 80s) and it's supposed to be warm again today, but Fall will finally settle in soon. Heck, there may even be a chill in the air for Halloween this year. Haven't decided on my costume, or if it's even worth going to the trouble... I manage to scare enough people in my natural state.

Regardless of what the calendar says, Fall is here

Nope. Couldn't do it. Was going to wear my white slacks yesterday, but it just didn't feel right... even though the unofficial 'official' end of Summer is Labor Day. I know Fall isn't officially here yet, but for some reason, it feels like Fall to me. The sunlight looks different. The temperature here went down into the 60s night before last, and never reached 80 yesterday. It was a beautiful, perfect day. Suddenly, the pinks, yellows, and light blues in my wardrobe look too summery to wear. Feels like time to wash and pack up the hot weather clothes and unpack and freshen the cool weather togs. Feels like it's time to take the pink & white quilt off the bed and put the warm throw in its place. Now that September 1st has come and gone, we're on the slippery slope to the end of the year.

My mind has turned again to my home town... not the one I was born in, but the one in which I spent most of my 'growing-up' years. I've only visited it once since leaving and that was almost 30 years ago. I want to make a stealth visit: drive the streets, find sites I remember, see the inevitable changes that have taken place. I want to slip in and out without making my presence known to anyone. (As I haven't kept up with old acquaintances and don't know which of them still live there, this should be the easiest part of the trip.) I've often thought of re-visiting it over the years... this time I just might make it.

One of my granddaughters has a birthday today. She got a shiny new bike. I used to feel older when any of my children or grandchildren had a birthday. Then I realized, I'm not getting older... they're just catching up to me.