COMING DOWN FROM A SUMMER HIGH!

Returning from a friend's cottage, the realization that all the summer plans are finished. Little day trips, overnights, family get togethers and cottage weekends with friends are completed. Lots of photos to organize for scrapbooking has been well underway. But there is a little, oh it's over! It seemed the calendar had been full of events to come. Now the memories! Sometimes in the rushing and driving, not stopping to think it has come to an end. Sort of like Boxing Day! But it is in the summer. There has been lots of enjoyment and fun. I am sure there will be Fall events but nothing to compare with the two months of warm weather and summer events. Do you ever feel a little down after the fun? Some people do not like the heat and are glad the cooler weather is approaching. Digging out the projects on hold during July and August will make busy hands. How do you feel as September approaches? Did you have a good summer? There a few weeks to go as I know. Perhaps an Indian summer will keep our spirits up.!

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE

As the seasons change, so does the landscape. The summer lake becomes the fall lake with colder waters, soon to be frozen over by winter ice. Like our lives, the view is still so beautiful! Look around you and pick a scene then visit it, photograph and reflect on it! Each time what do you see! Really look! Record your observations! I see layers of clouds. Lake Scugog. Port Perry on the left side. Blue water. Feels cold to me. The green replaced by brown. A country drive with a purpose! Something larger than I! Do you see something more?

SEPTEMBER AND THE END TO SUMMER

Welcome September! The relaxed days of summer months are now just a memory. Even though we still have 3 weeks of summer left, the urge to reve up and get back to those projects put aside for summer activities has begun. Stores have been busy the last few weeks with the back to school shopping. Committees and staff meetings at work are scheduled with urgency. The student placements from the colleges and universities are arriving. No wonder everyone is feeling so tired! There is such a pressure to do things- well September is here, must get going! So take a deep breath and remember there is only 24 hours in the day and tomorrow will be another day! Don't pull out all the winter woolies yet! Keep the summer colours a little longer! Relish the days outside when the weather keeps warm for a while longer! Hope for the Indian summer! Buy some plants like the Fall mums adding new colour to your garden! For parents everywhere that have been trying to keep the little ones from being bored and active, the start of school is not necessarily a bad thing! Starting High School for the first time! The first year away at university or college brings challenges! The first time not going back to school but in an exciting new job! Yes welcome September, you can do some early Christmas shopping if you want or plan for your special projects as gifts. One of my relatives knit a beautiful sweater already for a family member with her leisure time over the summer as a Christmas gift! Do you welcome September? Or are you trying to catch those late season rays to keep your tan?

REFLECTIONS OF 2011 SUMMER MOMENTS

Tomorrow will be September. As we leave August, I felt like reviewing some pleasant moments of the summer.
A trip to the Sculpture Garden at the McMichael Collection with my granddaughter.

A visit to Peterborough to see the Lock.

A beach visit to Harbourfront- Toronto, Ontario.

Fun for the day with the family at Blue Mountain-Collingwood before the concert- Huey Lewis and the News at Casino Rama-Orillia.

A quick visit to Westbank BC to help with the folks and had a good view of the fire zone from 2009.

A day trip to Port Perry  for a picnic by Lake Scugog then to the farm on the way home. 

Of course many family times, barbecues, June birthdays and the first one for our youngest grandson Tyler in August as well as an anniversary!
The summer had other adventures too but I have highlighted a few. Eating outside! Reading there in my cozy corner while catching some rays all made the summer a time to enjoy. I feel a little down as the Fall starts to kick in. Even though we can have a beautiful Indian Summer, knowing that the cooler weather is approaching brings a sense to try to capture any warm day enjoying it to the fullest. How were your summer months? Did you gather a collection of memories? Did you have some favourite times? Some had the birth of a new grandchild. Some went on a trip to Europe. Some just enjoyed the cottage life. Are you a bit sad that August is over?

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

August is the melancholic time of year. The summer is starting to wind down. Some people still need to take their summer vacations. There is a pressure to enjoy every minute of the warm weather. So if there are some cool nights, it is too much of a reminder that Fall is around the corner. Wishful thinking that perhaps September will bring more warmer weather! Change of seasons can bring many moods. Everyone at my work this week has been very tired. Is it the daily demands and active schedule of an acute care hospital or the pull on our energy of change coming again? Mood swings can affect us. Those with clinical depression may be experiencing heightened mood swings! August is a time of harvest, enjoying the extended daylight, but seeing it as the last real month of summer- even though 3/4 of September is still summer. To me summer never lasts long enough. Do you enjoy summer? Has is your August? Vacation plans? Tell me your story!

CICADAS-THE SOUND OF AUGUST

The Cicadas are that large, winged insect with the sound of a high pitched whine that occur usually in mid-August. The sound is the mark of summer starting to wind down. This year we heard them in mid-July so I mentioned to my granddaughter it was a cicada. Today outside we could hear them and Sohpia said it's a cicada, Nana.  The funny thing is I do not think I have ever seen one- just heard them! I do not know much about them. I think they do no harm. At least I have never had a cicada bite- mosquitoe, spider, black fly but not a cicada. Their sound is always expected this time of year. Do you have cicadas in your area? What do you know about them?

THE FALL OF OUR LIVES

When we reflect on the seasons it often can coincide with the stages of our lives. Fall always brings images of middle age. Remorse summer is over and the uncertainity of what type of Fall. Will it be an Indian Summer with warm days mingled around the cool nights? Will the harvest be bountiful? The trees in their changing colours- will they be beautiful? We say goodbye to many birds and butterflies as they head south but prepare to help feed the ones that remain year round. Fall can bring the rewards of all the seasons. As our relationships change with people in our lives- children have moved out and started families, friends downsize and perhaps relocate, some important members pass away- we tend to value our loved ones more. It can be a time to decide what do I really want to do with the rest of my life. An urgency to complete some projects and a desire to start some new ones. A time to reconnect with people in our lives. Visit old haunts. A time to decide life is really worth living and live it. How do you feel about Fall? Does it bring different images to you? Are you younger but look at the folks in your life hoping they are enjoying their accomplishments? Are you in the Fall of your life?