Labor Day

Labor Day may not be the start of fall, more like a forerunner to it, but it signals a change all the same.   Fall is more about adhering to schedules and routines--unlike the spontaneous and carefree happenings of summer.

We had our usual family Labor Day get-together, which gave me an excuse to make my new favorite chocolate cake.  I'm a firm believer in, "It's not dessert unless it's chocolate."  I'd make this cake even if we weren't eating Primal/Paleo--it's that good.  I doubled the recipe and made it an 8" two-layer, with plenty of frosting in between.  Because everyone was casting their eating habits to the wind that day, we indulged in a piece much larger than we should've.  But Labor Day is only once a year, so why not?

My sister gave me saucer-sized dahlias to take home for a bouquet for my kitchen table.   I have no luck with dahlias in my garden, but don't I wish I did.  These were so splashy and over-sized--it was eye-catching and a change from the smaller arrangements that are my usual norm.

And last came a trip to the harbor to watch the setting sun--the amber rays gave everything a golden glow. Ahhh, I wished it weren't all so fleeting.  Of course sea air gives you an appetite, we have to believe that, so we had our"end of summer" Dairy Queen--it has been a tradition since ours were little.  They're all grown and no longer enjoying the tradition with us, but my husband and I keep it all the same :)

The sun rises an hour later now and sets almost an hour earlier.  Another change and another season on the way.   But guess that's what the various seasons of our life are all about.