Dry leaves
scurry 
across the deck.
Once perky 
impatiens
sadly droop.
Chairs pushed aside.
Table littered
with acorns and
fallen branches.
Center of summer
abandoned.

The thing is, it’s all okay. Somehow, it feels good to automatically reach for a pair of jeans instead of shorts. It’s freeing to travel around town and on and off Cape without traffic jams. Things seem to move at a more leisurely pace.

Had to smile as I re-read what I had just written. As a teacher, fall was anything but leisurely.  It was an insanely busy time of new kids and schedules and commuting in the dark. There’s a part of me that still misses the excitement that comes with the start of the school year. I’ve always felt that one of the joys of teaching was that every September was a new beginning. Retirement is good too. It’s nice to have the time for simmering soups and slow braises. The only time my crock pot gets used these days is to keep clam chowder warm for a crowd in the summer.