We had another birthday in the family last week. Zach, our oldest, turned 21. He opened his presents and then we all went out to dinner. His girlfriend, Alyssa, made his favorite – Oreo Cheesecake. He sure hated sharing it with the rest of us! Ha ha.

Zach didn’t go out and celebrate his 21st birthday by drinking like other young people tend to do. He didn’t drink any alcohol at all. He said that was his birthday present to me. I’ve been sensitive about people drinking too much since my first marriage to an alcoholic. Zach’s gift to me was one of the nicest gifts I’ve ever received. We are so proud of the loving young man he has become.

We’re putting the window-unit air conditioners in the attic this weekend. We don’t need them anymore. And, it’s about time to start our weekend driving trips. During this time of year, we usually take long Sunday drives to see the Fall foliage. When we see a particularly beautiful tree, we stop and take pictures. One of our baby Maple trees, which is about three years old, gets its leaves first in the spring, and starts getting its fall foliage quite early, in late July. Right now, the leaves are blood red and drooping – just about ready to fall. It’s beautiful.

I probably don’t need to tell you that Fall is my favorite time of the year. It always has been. And, the Fall 24-Hour Short Story Contest is always my favorite one to judge. We always give it a crisp Fall theme. The contest is THIS SATURDAY! If you want to participate, don’t delay in signing up. You can register HERE.

This week’s Maxism:

The other day, I was telling Max a story about when he was a baby. He interrupted me to ask, “Mom, when I was born, how old was I?”

Hugs to all!

Ang