Summer's end

Sunflower in our community garden

Seems like I've been seeing lots of pictures of sunflowers on the pages of my fellow bloggers, and it's because these beauties are growing huge now, giving us yet another taste of the last days of summer. Today is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, as many schools open their doors tomorrow, the school buses will be back on the roads, and in many parts of the country the heat of summer will begin to give way to crisp mornings and cooler temperatures.

Changing leaves and clouds

When I woke this morning, it was a day when nothing I would normally do had a place in the day. No buses were running, no gym to visit since it was closed, and everything felt different. Holidays are like that for me these days, now that I'm retired and cannot follow my usual schedule. I mapped out my day: drive to the coffee shop for my usual latte (since they were open), and then get my scheduled massage. It was wonderful, as usual, although over way too soon. I then headed to Lake Padden for a nice walk around the lake, a two-and-a-half mile trip. I took the above picture there, when I noticed the leaves are already beginning to turn color.

Then I went to the local bookstore to buy a book I've been wanting. Yesterday I finished a library book that I enjoyed very much: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. (The link will take you to a New York Times book review that I enjoyed.) I've read almost everything Kingsolver has written, and I have to say this was one of my favorites. She writes both fiction and nonfiction (this is fiction) and she brought me immediately into the story. I recommend it.

The book I bought today was one I had to wait too long to get at the library, since it was on the bestseller list for many months. It's not yet out in paperback, but I've been hearing about it almost every Thursday, since Peggy read it and has brought up some tidbit from the book while on our hike. It's the only Mary Roach book I haven't read yet, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. She's a brilliant science writer who knows how to make science fun and interesting. I also heard an NPR segment where Mary Roach talked about her book and I was intrigued. I'll let you know after I read it if it lives up to its hype.

Tomorrow my life returns to normal, with the buses running and the YMCA open for business. And I'll be glad to get things back to operating on an even keel in my own life. I hope if you are still working that you had a renewing vacation, and if you're like me, that now you can get back to your regularly scheduled routine.
:-)