It's the last holiday weekend of summer. Where did the time go?

The Labor Day weekend has traditionally signaled the end of summer. And although the calendar says that there are still a few weeks left of the "official" season, the shift from the summer to the autumn pattern of behavior is in full force.

The kids are back in school, football season has commenced, and cooler weather is returning. It's a time for enjoying the last hurrah of summer as the daylight wanes more and more with each passing day.

And although our first projected frost date in Georgia is still two months away, the gardens are winding down as the annual plants begin to suffer the consequences of "old age." The tomatoes are beginning to wilt and the peppers are covered with fruit that needs to be harvested.

Yet the period between Labor Day and Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year. I enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of the natural world getting ready for the long winter sleep.

It's a time of both preparation and reflection, and everything seems a bit slower paced.

And I like that. I like that a lot!