A Bouquet of Freshly Sharpened Pencils...

It's hard to believe that school started last week since it is just the beginning of August and the Georgia summer is still at its peak.

Growing up, school always signaled the start of my favorite season - autumn. And it always started the same way - back to school shopping. Walking through the aisles of pencils and glue, trapper keepers and spiral notebooks, always makes me excited. It reminds me of that line from "You've Got Mail"..."I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils if only I knew your name and address. Don't you just love New York in the fall?"

Then the days cool off, the leaves start to change into the most beautiful display, maple sugaring starts, and oh apple picking time! Mmm...apple sauce, apple pie, apple crisp, apple cider, apple jam...This is the time of year I miss New England the most.

And so tonight - since it is still 80 degrees out and the air conditioner is cranked, I shall settle for baking my grandmother's knobby apple cake and burning my Harvest Yankee Candle. And then I will remember my favorite spot in Connecticut on the corner of Bogg and Chappell streets - overlooking the valley with the old stones fences, the pond with the geese taking a break on their way south for the winter, the grazing cows, and the foliage on the surrounding hills. And I will imagine that I am home.