'Tis the Last Rose of Summer...

Well, no roses here. But lots of "lasts" today - last morning sleeping in, last evening with no homework reminders, and last lunch-packing-free morning.

Sigh.

Usually I love Labour Day. Fall is my favourite season, and I'm typically totally happy and so so ready to return to the rhythm of regular life after the loosey-goosey-ness of summer.

I'm having a tough time this year and really can't figure out why. It's not that I didn't have time to myself or a good vacation or get outside to enjoy the sunshine. Maybe it's because there was so much of it I loved that I'm just not ready for it to end.

And yet, the suddenly cooler days and darkened mornings are nonetheless having their predictable effect on me, despite my wish to ignore the calendar page turning. I'm craving squash and potatoes and apples and whole wheat bread - all those autumn favourites that have taken a backseat to basil and tomatoes and peaches. I baked monster cookies today in preparation for after-school snacks, and am almost looking forward to getting the backpacks ready for tomorrow's first day back to school.

I find myself wanting to clean out cupboards and stock my pantry, readying myself for the hibernatory season ahead. I made myself a cup of tea this afternoon, which I rarely want to do during the hot summer.

Even my literary tastes are changing, with a natural turning from beach reading towards more meaty stuff. I find myself wondering how soon I can start Middlemarch again. [Answer: when the snow flies. It's a blizzard and hot chocolate type of book.]

Funny how in tune we can be to the seasons, I guess. This summer I've been trying to be more aware of what I eat, selecting local and in-season produce whenever possible. It's helped me to catch just the teensiest glimpse of the rhythm of the earth as I watched the spinach disappear from the farmer's market only to be replaced by the summer squash.

And, in the same way that I crave spinach now but know that its time is past (for this year, anyway), I think I am craving those lazy-daisy summer vacation days. And deep down I know that if I tried to force those days out of season, they would be tasteless and seem off-kilter even as the spinach would be if I bought it from the grocery store today.

So, I'll aim for contentment today and patient waiting for tomorrow. I'll try to embrace the coming season of plenty with its return to routine and its ever-shortening days, knowing that both spring and spinach are really just around the corner.