I've been noticing some of our maple trees seem to be turning just a tad earlier than usual this year.  This is one in front of our house that usually provides a remarkable display of color every fall, and it's definitely beginning to dress up for us.

I was sitting out on the deck with Woody for a few minutes this afternoon, watching the humming birds at our feeder.  They will be heading out pretty soon.  In the meantime, the crickets were chirping away and there was an occasional scream of a bossy bluejay, probably in contention with a chipmunk over something both wanted to store for the winter.  

I made applesauce this afternoon.  I knew I had to get out there before the deer or I'd just plain be too late.  We don't spray our apples, so they aren't the best looking, by any means; but they taste very good, and although I don't make pies much anymore, I do like fresh applesauce.  This time I made it without any sugar.  We've been cutting back on sugar, even before all the health experts decided it is "poison" for our bodies.  I never have had much of a sweet tooth, but for Fred it was always part of his diet until a few years ago.  He began cutting back on desserts in general, and now having cake or pie in the house is a real treat.  I like a cookie with my tea after dinner, but I'm getting along with fewer - if I make a batch I freeze most of them and then I'm not quite at tempted.  I was experimenting with making cookies with less fat in them - now I guess I have to find ways to cut back on sugar, so it really kind of defeats the purpose all together.  I'm content with a  piece of bread and butter and my unsweetened applesauce.

I was thinking today about all the kids going back to school - most in our area have started this week or will start next week.  I remember how hard it was to leave camp in the summer and go back to town when the weather was this nice but we had to go because school was starting.  We were always so sad.  I could sympathize with my kids because when I was a kid, I never looked forward to school, either.  It was mostly ok once I got there, but on really nice days I remember being very anxious when three o'clock rolled around and I could race home and enjoy the last rays of summer.  It was hard to sit still inside when the weather was this nice.  This photo was of me with two of my cousins - I think we were on our way to bring in the cows from the pasture - a daily job that took us at least an hour, often much more, but we loved it.

Now I marvel that granddaughter, Jo-Ann, looks forward to school starting.  She has been busy all summer, and been to various "camps"so there was plenty of time for her to play, so it's different for her.  The last think I wanted was to go anywhere there was organized activities.  I spent the whole summer either helping on the farm or "doing my own thing" - walking in the woods, reading my favorite books, building a dam on one of the pasture brooks or, when I was younger than Jo-Ann, cutting paper dolls out of the Sears Roebuck catalog.  I had cousins around to do things with most of the summer, but if they weren't around, I enjoyed being by myself and had plenty of things to do.  If I complained of being bored, my mother could always find a chore for me, too, so that didn't happen often.

No, summer camps with swimming lessons and crafts wasn't for me, and summer camp for my kids was being at Joe's Pond.