Well, it's that time of year again when you all humor me and let me have my moment to celebrate the demise of what I like to refer to as hell's trilogy....June, July, and August. It's almost September Eve and, on Saturday, it will be socially acceptable to pretend it's fall. Tomorrow, I'm bringing out all things fall and candles scented with pumpkin caramel swirl, pumpkin cupcakes, autumn harvest, pumpkin apple muffins, and pumpkin spice latte. It's gonna smell like a pumpkin afire up in here.

In case you've missed it in years past, let me illustrate my sense of accomplishment for having survived another smothering Mississippi summer with her long, merciless days which seem to have no end.......
Yes, the stores are full of pumpkins and cinnamon-y things and you know how this must awaken the dead part of my being, even though, we've got far to go in the South before we could even think about getting close enough to a fire to roast anything. Yes, the southern sun still has many tricks left up its sleeve. Just because Brach has shipped its candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins to Wal-Mart, does not the cool weather bring. There is still much hardship to endure, but we can be sure that the worst is behind us now.

Yeah, when you turn your calendar over to September, the accompanying, thematic picture usually shifts from August's beach balls to baskets of apples, piles of bright orange leaves, and a little red schoolhouse. Well, a southern calendar would be more realistic to depict September with a photo of an irritated, red-faced woman, with underarm sweat stains, drinking her pumpkin spice latte out on her front lawn of crunchy, burned up grass, which is crawling with ornery rattlesnakes, who are looking for a place to bed down and mosquitos, the size of blackbirds, trying to make the most of their last days.

But, if nothing else, August's exit is a mental victory. September 1 signals an inner triumph for me. I approach the finish line and can see only good things ahead, but not all wins are picturesque. Sometimes, you just need to get through the race the best you can. As long as you finish, it doesn't matter how you looked doing it. My sweaty, irritated self is on the verge of stumbling, without the tiniest shred of dignity, over the finish line. It hasn't been pretty. It hasn't even bearable to watch. You might even say that it has been a downright ugly performance. But, I am almost there.

This year, September 1 is a double treat with Mississippi State football starting that day, too. The day we can pretend it's fall AND college football starting on the same day may be just more than my excitement meter can measure. All of my favorite seasons kicking off at one time.

So, that's where I am.  My steps are a little peppier.  My voice is laced with more excitement.  My outlook is brighter.  My confidence is high. This is my time. A lot of sweat and tears have gone into this victory. A lot. You all know this is one of the most difficult races for me.  Thank you for your support.
And the first leaf we see fall from the trees down here in Mississippi, even if it was burned slammed to death by the hellacious heat and was literally scorched from its branch, well, we will still find victory in its descent to the ground. We don't so much care about why the first leaf falls, only that it falls.

So, don't let the door hit you on the way out, summertime.

Happy First Day of Pretending It's Fall, my friends!