IT’S OFFICIAL – 2009 HOLIDAY SEASON OPENS

Now don't get upset. I'm not advocating for the playing of carols and decorating of trees. But if you want to – go ahead. It's all fair after Labor Day in my book. Beginning with Labor Day, we have Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's – and several more from there. And I don't know about your days – but my days melt away so fast it's time for me to at least be thinking about what I want to do for Christmas. And if I'm going to do what I want to do, I'd better get organized and get with the program! If you're the same way, make yourself a cup of spicy tea and treasure some happy secrets in your heart. I find I get through the holidays a lot better if I see them as a journey, not a destination.

Of course, it's still late summer, and summer / harvest things remain to be done. There's housecleaning – never my favorite activity but it takes on new meaning as I anticipate decorating a clean house. I have dried one box of pears and will do more. I have more elderberry juice to convert to jelly. We checked the plum trees recently and the fruit is still rather green, but we talked of pie and plum jelly. The country apples on the old trees seem a little mealy and could be ignored, but maybe I'll make sauce or a pie. Having lost my corn crop to the lack of moisture and my carrots to the grasshoppers, I planted spinach in the raised bed. Will it sprout? Will it survive bugs and frost? Will it winter over? I don't know.

Mention housecleaning to Mike and he volunteers to do the floors. It's all I can do to keep up with him as he moves furniture – then cleans, waxes, and buffs with the old buffer that probably equals him in weight – and age.

Last night (Labor Day) we did something we hadn't done before. We ate supper at the farm and then Mike watched a college football game. When the game was over, we hopped in the Dakota and drove the 55 miles back to the town house. We'd never done it at night before and we enjoyed light traffic, the bright moon, and listening to a podcast. We'll stay in town a few days. I'm working on the details for Hallie's reception, and Mike finds chores wherever he is. Today he vacuumed and serviced a chain saw. KW