Almost-Farewell, Summer

I love the Fall. Always have, always will. Last week I was making minestrone soup to try and chase away the very-much-still-summer heat outside, but it just felt wrong. It could have something to do with the fact that we were planning on swimming later in the day, but right then I also realized there's a possibility that this will be our last summer here in Georgia (Pete finishes school in May and we're toying with the idea of hightailing it right back home to the West). 

Like I said, I'm a crunchy leaves and pumpkin seeds type of girl, but at the realization that we may not be here for another Southern summer, I have to say I'm glad summer has clung to us for much of September. I think I will always have fond memories of summers in Atlanta: splash-pad play groups, barbecues and pool parties with good friends, sweaty and humid morning runs, pungently flower-scented air, evening walks with the fireflies. Maybe we'll embrace the extra swim days and warm weather outside (especially since we've had such a rainy summer this year). After all, we still need to catch a firefly!

But eventually, I'm going to declare it Fall, whether the weather obeys or not. Because bees the size of small hummingbirds and unrepellable (yep, that's a word now) mosquitoes have got to fade away at some point. Saying sad goodbyes to good friends as they finish school and move away always happens in the summer, too. And shorts on Halloween is just wrong. That's all.