Goodbye Summer!

I love summer. I love the long, less-scheduled days and the joyful squeals and laughter of the kids, freely running around the neighborhood. I love the feeling of my bare feet on the earth. I love the smells of compost and flowers, of ripe tomatoes on the vine and freshly-cut grass. I love dirt under my fingernails and resting after a day of hard work in the fresh air. I love never having to consider a coat, or whether I need gloves or a hat.

But now, earlier sunsets and cooler nights are too obvious to ignore. Mums have replaced the frilly, technicolor annuals at the garden centers and, somehow, they feel more somber to me, less free and fresh, with their sturdy stems able to withstand chilly winds and first frosts.

So, slowly, I’ll begin the process of dismantling summer. Root-bound containers will be emptied, awaiting next spring. Things that can be saved or propagated will come inside, to ride out the months of cold and snow under the basement grow lights. Mounds of plant material will be composted to nourish the gardens next year, and, once first frost hits hard, it will be time to dig up dahlia tubers and put them away for safe keeping until the ground is warm again.

Eventually, I’ll make the best of it — with straw bales and pumpkins and mums, with warm, hearty soups and stews and freshly-baked bread. The fireplaces will be lit and Zak and I will decide that some mornings are “definitely hot chocolate” mornings. Our maple trees will burst with color, and I’ll notice that they’re beautiful. I’ll hear the loudspeaker and the marching band and fans cheering from the local high school on Friday nights. And, I’ll decide that “fall is nice, too.”

But, for now, I’m hugging summer goodbye. I know that it’s time, and I know it will be back… but, still, I just don’t want to let go.