Farewell Summer, Hello Friends

September is one of my favorite months of the year.  The weather is usually sunny and warm, but not too warm in this part of the country.  It provides one last chance to do all of those things we dreamed of earlier in the year, when we were waiting for winter to finally release its grip and another summer stretched before us.
 
But as happens every year, summer is over far too quickly.  Soon the leaves will start to turn colors.  The red and yellow and rusty orange splashes of color will be beautiful as I drive, but they also remind me summer is officially over.  Now is the time to harvest the garden and winterize the house and do any other chores that need doing before the cold winter winds blow again.

---

Fall is also a good time to curl up on the sofa with a good book after the sun goes down.  While I always enjoy the thrill of finding a new release by one of my favorite authors, I also have plenty of their earlier books on my “keeper” shelf.  (Make that keeper shelves, actually.)  My accommodating husband built a set of shelves for me which now hold hundreds of romance novels I have accumulated over the years.  I have given away thousands more, but these are the ones I really don’t want to part with.  It is a mix of historical and contemporary, with a few other genres thrown in for good measure.
 
While I appreciate my Kindle, especially when traveling, I still enjoy the act of holding a book in my hands and turning the pages.  When I reread one of the books from the shelves, it is like visiting with an old friend.   Even looking at the books on the shelves and running my fingers along the spines as I debate which one to select can be almost as calming as a mug of hot chocolate.
 
So while I am sad to see summer leave, the upside is that I will be spending more quality time with old friends between the pages of my books.  Bring on the falling leaves and the blowing snow – my friends are waiting for me.

---