Mid-September already?

Yes, the seasons cycle. I noticed cyclamen blooming among the hostas the other day, and the resident groundhog (it lives under a pile of brush in the back corner of the lot) has been eating fallen apples from the tree. (The dog has, too, though I try to discourage it; the core gets caught in his throat, and he coughs and chokes for hours afterward.) We’ve even had mornings when the girl has wanted her jacket to go to the bus stop.

This past week, I was amused to note I’d been so excited to have the kids go back to school so I could get more work done — but it hasn’t turned out that way at all. With making lunches, checking the girl’s backpack, making sure everyone has breakfast (including the dog, whom the girl is supposed to feed), and walking the girl to the bus, I still don’t settle down to work before 9. At the other end of the day, the boy is home about 3:15, and I have to meet the girl’s bus about 3:50, and then my husband can get home any time from 4 on, depending on what kind of a day he’s had. And everyone’s first action when they get home is to tell me all about how their day went — which means, basically, I have from 9 to 3 to do my paying work, write, edit, check e-mail, and do whatever else I need to get done.

More work done? Nope.

On the other hand, it’s much quiter, and I don’t have to break up any fights over whose turn it is to choose what they’re watching. I’ll take it.

What changes have you noticed recently?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.