Autumn--and It's NOT back-to-school time for me!!!

Well...I know it's still officially summer, but autumn is definitely on its way.  The sun is mellowing--it doesn't have quite the intensity of summer anymore.  I love this time of year, but in a bittersweet kind of way.  I love summer...the hot weather, shorts & sandals, sun on my skin, being outdoors in the garden, walking in the hills, playing with the dogs and the horses...all the joys and delights of the season.  But I also love fall...going back to school & all the excitement and possibilities that brings--new things to learn and experience, he subtle change in the weather, harvesting my garden and enjoying its produce, browsing catalogs for new warmer clothes.  But it's still a happy time and a sad time all at once--I've got to leave one season behind to make room for the next & it's tough, because I love them both.

I must comment, however, on my change of status this year.  For the first time since I was FOUR years old, I'm NOT going back to school!!!  I've been either a student or a teacher my entire life, but this year I took a new job, so right now it feels like the whole world is going back to school without me.  It feels VERY, VERY strange, but not strange in a bad way--it's strange in a really GOOD way.  I LIKE it!!!