Happy Labor Day

The calendar says that the seasons change in mid-September, but we all know that the unofficial end to summer is Labor Day.  It's not as dramatic of an ending as it used to be around here; people wrapped up their vacations last month and all the schools started a couple of weeks ago.

I woke up this morning with the beginnings of a head cold, and decided to spend the day futzing around the house. It turned out to be a wonderful way to end the summer.

• At lunch we took our sandwiches out and sat on the shady front porch. I saw a hummingbird stopping by to get some nectar from a canna flower a couple of feet away.

• I put away the clothes that screamed "summer", including the white pants, capris, and sandals, and got out some lightweight pieces in fall colors.  (Just because I've declared summer over doesn't mean the temperatures will cooperate.)

• In the afternoon I spent time outside--deadheading flowers, weeding, and working on eradicating some invasive plants--and came inside with a half-dozen mosquito bites!

• For dinner Tony barbecued chicken and hamburgers; I made potato salad, cooked corn on the cob, and grabbed summery nectarines and plums for dessert. We ate on the deck, then drank iced tea and talked.

• After dinner we walked to the drug store so I could get some more cold medicine.  I noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky quite early, and it was completely dark by 8:00.  Summer really is over.