If you see me at the Grocery Store or The Patio or Mini Merc in the next few weeks, please don't say it.

Please.

It's that dreaded question. "Are you ready for school yet?"

No, no, and heck no.

I mean, on one hand, I am, particularly when the little guy is telling me for the umpteenth time he's bored. Big guy's been working most of the summer, so that hasn't been an issue.

But am I ready to start the early routine and get the family out the door at 7:15 in the morning to get to school? No, not really, even though with summer jobs and fishing trips and baseball tournaments, we had plenty of early mornings this summer.

Those are kind of fun, however, as opposed to the back-to-school daily hustle.

So baseball is over, and football and cross country and soccer and music activities are just around the corner.

There are just too many things I didn't get checked off my summer to-do list.

I haven't climbed that 14er. I missed the 4th fireworks, so I'll have to be sure to see those again next year. I haven't hiked to my favorite lake, and with Saturdays looking booked for the next three months, that might not happen either.

Oh well, canning season will be here soon, and the chokecherries are looking abundant near our house, so this might be a good summer for jelly and syrup.

The early peaches are good and Olathe corn is here, so those are two summer goodies I won't miss.

I'm glad we saw our Rockies game earlier this summer before they traded Troy Tulowitzki, and what in the heck are they thinking, anyway?

We can still celebrate summer technically until the autumn equiniox on Sept. 23.

In the meantime, we have the La Plata County Fair, Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, an art festival and a business and community expo in Bayfield, then the Southern Ute Tribal Fair and Bayfield Heritage Days.

Whew.

It doesn't sound like we'll have much time off this autumn, either.

I hope you enjoy your corn and peaches and garden produce before Labor Day.

Thanks for reading.