The End of the Summer

It's the end of the summer.  Fall is in the air.  I am knitting again, and dreaming of all the projects I want to cram in before the real cold sets in.  I realized the other day that my knitted hat basket doesn't have nearly enough hats!  And now that I've learned to knit mittens, I need to stock up on those as well.  

Knitting isn't the only sign.  I find myself curled up on the couch reading cookbooks, wanting soups and chowders.  On Sunday I called my mother at least five times to share a recipe with her (now that our freezers are chocker-block full of Alaskan salmon that WE caught!) 

I have jazz on the radio (which is fall music only).  

School starts in a week.  The newspaper is full of fliers for back to school sales and this Sunday's paper had the school bus schedule.  

But most notably, the air is cooler.  Lee and I have the windows closed most of the day.  We are wearing our slippers and sweatshirts.  We cover up with blankets on the couch.  Lee even wore his hat all day yesterday!  

There's a sadness that comes with the end of summer, a feeling that it's time to hunker down, work hard, store up to survive the long winter.  That feeling is more stark here in Alaska.  While I'm sad at the end of relaxation and having to go back to the grind of work and school, and I'm sad that our summer vacation with Mom and Dad has come and gone too quickly, I am excited for fall.  It's my favorite season.  We get to start feeding the birds again.  The foliage turns all beautiful, different from home, but still spectacular.  We get to wear woolen goodies.  We get to snuggle more.  

So we'll spend the next week trying to squeeze out a few more summer moments.  But then we'll plant the fall spinach and kale, put up the canoe and go back to work.