The end of the summer

A week of sad. Labor Day has always been a good bye kind of holiday. Summer is over. Years ago school would be starting after Labor Day. Leave the ocean. Back to the winter house and neighbors and friends and clothes. Get out the shovels. Put Dinty Moore beef stew on the shelf and make sure you have candles, milk and bread before the Northeaster hits.

Now things aren't quite so bad but still . . a lot of neighbors are preparing to depart for the winter. Water is turned off. Windows are sometimes shuttered. The walk to the beach is darker and quieter than ever before. We can back out of our driveway in less than an hour since traffic becomes almost non-existent. It always gives me that fearful feeling of loss and loneliness.

Meanwhile I have to get back to the winter house for at least part of the week to do my duties. At least I'll be back and will spend a day on either end of this holiday to give me a really good long one.

Right now though, I'm sad.