Fabulous Fall

September is four days away. I feel like I was in a coma all summer long and completely missed the season. Was summer ever really here? I don't know what the weather was like in your part of the world but in Southwestern Ontario it was down right miserable. Rain, rain and more rain in the months of June and July. August started out mimicking summer with it's above thirty degree temperatures and sunny days. But, sadly, August decided that hot, blistering days should give way to fall-like temperatures, severe weather and cloudy skies. We were robbed - plain and simple.

As much as I love summer and the opportunity to spend time on the deck while the kids frolic in the yard I have to be honest and admit that the approach of falls fills me with the warm and fuzzies. There is something comforting about the smell of dead leaf piles and sweaters. Is there anything that screams "fall" more than walking outside around dinner time and meeting the wafting aromas of pot roasts and home baked desserts that escape their red brick confines to permeate the crisp fall air? Oh, and the forest with that familiar, crunch, crunch, crunch sound as I walk through the beautiful reds and oranges makes me simply giddy inside. Yes, I am a closet fall lover. I don't admit it much because to be Canadian is to loathe the coming of winter and anticipate summer.

Fall has a sense of place. It is the beginning of a new school year and everyone getting back into routine. It means leaving the beach and returning to the office. It signifies the loss of cellulite revealing shorts and the arrival of cozy jeans that conceal hairy legs. The coming of fall sends folks into a furry of "getting back to normal". Parents start searching for daycare after coming back to reality. Parents with children already in care get back to a proper bedtime schedule and kids attend every day without weeks off for vacation. In short, our jobs get easier and abundance seems to be the word of the month.

September is a great month for daycare providers who have struggled to fill spots over the summer. I always notice that in September the emails start drifting in from parents who are frantically searching for immediate care. What a wonderful time to be a provider. With so many interviews and families to choose from you are sure to find your perfect match.

As sad as I am to bid farewell to summer I do look forward to the arrival of fall. In my opinion there is no other time that benefits a daycare provider more. Rested kids who are in attendance every day. We no longer need to re-transition kids off on vacation for weeks at a time. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold to get outside and enjoy the last few months of sunshine. Hoodies and jackets replace copious amounts of slippery sunscreen. And rubber boots are always a welcomed replacement to sandals and shoes that require assistance.

Bring on fall. Enjoy it while you can. Turkey Day is just around the corner with it's leaf and twig craft centre pieces, and hand print turkey mock-ups. And before you know it the jolly old guy will be all the talk. Yes, enjoy fall now. In a few months you will wish it were here again.

For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca