Goodbye Summer

The last lovely eggplants from our garden.

Summer has come to a close, in fact, I missed it's last day while sitting in SICU with my mom. And I am sad to see it go.

This summer was the cream of all summers. Nothing in particular made it special. We didn't go on a huge trip, our garden didn't produce tons of tomatoes, we didn't spend everyday at the beach. It was just a lot of great times as a family: on the boat, in the ocean, at the water park, fishing, crabbing, riding bikes, playing with the dog. We allowed the kids to independently explore the five house radius of our nook of the neighborhood. On any given day, passing by the window I might've seen a roving gang of four years to eleven year old kids swinging, playing catch, running from one yard to the next or hide and go seeking. And parts of it were a pain, like having our hall bathroom torn to pieces for the whole of July and August, adjusting to life with a guinea pig, dealing with my mom's diagnosis. But in spite of these, it's the great stuff that stands out in my mind.

Oh, and it was a time of discovery for me, too. I found my calling, finally, and have made great efforts to strike while the iron's hot. I have always written poems and made stories up in my head but now I am writing about everyday things and out of the ordinary experiences. Sharing and perfecting on my blog and getting some of my writing published.

So Hello Fall! Welcome, come on in, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cuppa coffee or some baked apples? Let me just say, I appreciate the sweaters and jeans that you have brought with you but I am going to need some extra...what's the word...umph from you, as well. You should know up front that you have some big shoes to fill. Summer has been here and left it's mark, soooo...show us what ya got!
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What will you miss about summer?