The beautiful holiday weekend weather was a reward for having to struggle through August. It is amazing how a few bright, brisk days can get a person started on special projects. The big canning kettle is full of apples that Laurie sent down via Wendy, from Vermont. They will soon be in a row of small containers in the freezer. It is one thing that freezes well.

Now is a time to begin to gather items for a big fall bouquet for the porch or patio. I have an eye on a big clump of milkweed which will not be dry for awhile, but are a “must” for the dried collection. The katydids proclaimed it will be six weeks to frost awhile ago, and that is when the bittersweet will begin to open. The pods are formed and turning brown and other stems from the garden will soon be available. An elderly neighbor told me once that her autumn bouquet was her “memory collection.”

Being blessed with such perfect weather on Labor Day, for the Newtown Parade, was much deserved by the hundreds of people who gave hundreds of hours of volunteer time to make it all happen. The annual book sale benefited also, as did the many tag sales and yard sales and private picnics and celebrations. We don’t always get such wonderful weather.

I can’t quite figure out why the usual resident birds are so hungry this early in the season. A small wire thistle feeder that Laurie gave me last spring has coaxed the gold finches to take seeds occasionally. About two weeks ago the chickadees discovered they could pull seeds out of the small wire openings, and they are there all day, along with the still-yellow finches. This morning a titmouse came early and has been back several times.

The new hummingbird feeder, the third one we purchased this summer, is finally being used steadily. The yellow jackets try to get to the syrup through the plastic guard, and are a pesky nuisance. The birds don’t give up and they fly at the enemy and then duck into the feeder to get a few sips before the bees bother them again.

Wendy’s daughter Megan visited Susan over the weekend, in Newtown. I was surprised to see Megan reading a Harry Potter book when they came to visit.  She’s read them all, several times. I remember how we passed around copies of the Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys and the Tarzan series – a favorite of mine. It is very satisfying to see young folks’ noses in books rather than being seated in front of the television all day.

Scott is up to his eyebrows in plans for the many fall fairs where he always takes his T-shirt and other things. This is a sure sign that fall is about to take over the calendar.

There is still time for some outdoor fun before it gets too cold, and we should be enjoying the last of the season barbecue or picnic.

Up in Vermont, Laurie has her nose in a book, too. Her course begins this week – another fall happening. She teaches college literature courses one evening a week. It is a good change from her job at the hospital.

The quote last week was by Winston Churchill.

Who said, “If youth did not matter so much to itself it would never have the heart to go on”?