The Sweet and the Bittersweet

This time of year is full of delights -- the plenty from the garden, the crisp Maine air, the gorgeous mornings which call to mind Keats' Ode to Autumn:

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease;
For Summer has o'erbrimm'd their clammy cells.

But these delights signal the end of summer , and my summer holiday ended this week, with my return to work. Yes, it good to see work colleagues, my favorite students, to meet new students eager to make their mark on campus, but oh, I miss the days in the garden, and the freedom to follow the rhythym of the sun.

Still, the gorgeous weather allows us to fit in a later afternoon/early evening paddle. Yesterday we tried a new spot, Nequasset Lake in Woolwich. What a beautiful paddle! The lake serves as the source for drinking water for several nearby communities, so there is very little development as the water district owns much of the shorefront. It was a delightful paddle, one we will do many times again in the future, I am sure, as it is only a short drive from the house. We have no photos today, as we were in a rush to get in the water and forgot the camera.

Perhaps there will be more paddling on Wednesday, and on Thursday, we plan to make pesto for the freezer, yum! I'll share the process then. Now, it is time for work!