Yes, Bleat Lite. I’m going to take it easy this week. No idea what I will or will not put up this week, but I feel a deep abiding need to slack off, and get to the things I’ve ignored for a fortnight. Or worse. The Buzz.mn Fair blog project was all-consuming, and my boss said something about a vacation afterwards. Not a real vacation – I’m not going anywhere and I will still be writing on the site, but apart from that, sure, it’s a vacation.

Out in the Gazebo at the end of summer’s last light. I’ve had more mosquito bites in the last five minutes than I’ve had in a month. Last chance for everyone, I guess.

Beat. I think I posted the Bleat entry about the Fair video at 3-something AM this morning. The night before I was also up waaaay too late; I cut the video, then looked around for the right music, something out of copyright. Decided to write my own, such as it was. Sometimes it just doesn’t work – no ideas come at all. Sometimes, however, the lack of original ideas is less of a problem than you’d think, and you’re off. It was two, then it was 2:30, then it was three. I went to sleep earlier in college. When I didn’t have class until noon.

Just got back from Labor Day at the Giant Swede’s house. Wes the Filmmaker drove the big Ford Boat:

The kids played in the new treehouse the Swede built for his son – the plans were taken directly from the Dangerous Book for Boys, too:

Ah, America.

Some neighbors are setting off fireworks; I approve. It’s apt: hail and farewell to summer. It was one of the best ever; between Disneyworld, the one time in my life I’ve truly not cared a whit for what was going to happen to me next, and the Alaska cruise, which had among its many pleasures the fact that it was just different, and I don’t do different as often as I should, and the new job – blogging from the gazebo all morning, running around, meetings, working, feeling somewhat more useful – well, it was just grand. The downsides? About three months of email to answer; was a haggard wreck for certain stretches; slept little; didn’t get to 90% of the projects I have to do; weekend work; never off the clock, really. So welcome to the real world. Still not stuck in a veal pen, and I still love what I do.

Just want to do a little less of it for a while.

I’ll be around all week, but for now I’m going to enjoy the return to the old schedule. Taking Gnat to the bus, choir after school, piano practice, spelling quizzes, homework, the same old timbers we erect anew every fall. In a few weeks, jackets in the gazebo. The furnace will rumble to life again, and the house will have the familiar smell of the radiators. Good whiskey on the weekends. The glory of the leaves, the one true perfect October day. Halloween. This just in! Time passes! Usually I’m loath to see summer go. This time I’m content to sit and watch it leave. You go on ahead. Catch up with you next year.

See you at buzz.mn - and if you missed the big video yesterday, give it a look. It's only three minutes or so.