How did this happen?

Wow! September 7 already and somehow we have slipped past Labor Day. Susan and I took a kind of holiday and went back to Michigan for a family reunion, through Canada and back to New York state to stay a few days in the Finger Lakes area to tour all the wineries I had remembered from Anchor House rides. The skies were blue, the temps were hot and it seemed like summer was set to continue indefinitely. We got back home the end of last week and by Labor Day the thermometer was reading 50 when we tried to go out for our customary breakfast on the porch. It's like summer just decided to go away - what a rude shock. I've lived through many years (more than I'm willing to admit to if the truth be told) and so this change of seasons should not be such a surprise. However, I was thinking today (while on the bike, of course) how much I can identify with the kids going back to school - I'm not ready. I don't want the shorter days, the cooler mornings - next thing will be the long sleeves, the leg warmers and tights and , worst of all, the ice and snow. In spite of the changing seasons I have had a couple of great rides in the past several days. The deer seem to be more numerous than ever these days and I've had them both standing stock still while I passed within a few feet of them at the side of the road and bounding out of the woods right into my path (usually in twos) and on into their next feeding ground. I've also seen a red fox scamper across the road and into the field on my right and a small flock of wild turkeys in a corn field. Today I felt like I was training for Dalhart. The wind was somewhere around 20 to 25 mph and, of course, it felt like it was in my face most of the time. I did 61 miles with 3500 feet of climbing and somewhere around the 40 mile mark I started thinking I could really use a quick nap....So I got home in time to catch the last set of the Querry match at the Open, take a quick shower and a pasta dinner with a cold beer for dinner. Nice consolation prize for the end of the summer.