Darkness on the Edge of Morn

I sit sipping coffee before the fire in my grandmother's wicker chair sad that the sky is now black at 5::45 am and wishing I had reset that blackberry alarm! Late last night I read an article on writing that advised grabbing 10 minutes here and there instead of facebooking, which for me is Thunder Roading, so when my blackberry accidentally went off at 5:20 this morning I stayed up and turned on the coffee that had been set for 15 minutes later. It was an inspired gesture but now I just feel tired.

It's not so much that I mind fall, it's just that I love summer, so I am sad to see it end. I love warmth, sunshine, and freedom. Fall is all about less sun, cooler temperatures and schedules. High school, university and dance have all started. Lots of driving, lots of organizing, very little sleeping, and nothing like starting today off with a bang at 5:20! So, let's see if I can use my 10 minute pockets today to expand the screenplay and 2 novels that have been hanging around my mind and computer screen for many, many months (years really, but months was much more alliterative).

A positive for the end of this summer has been the incredible Fraser River sockeye run. We canned 20 jars of it on the weekend, something we hadn't done for at least 15 years. The Fraser has had more sockeye this summer than in the last 100 years.

Blackberries are lining our driveway. So far we have had crisp and pancakes and several quart jars of blackberries currently reside in our freezer. I froze them individually on a baking sheet before transferring them to vintage glass jars. I am hopeful that the glass does not contain lead which would probably negate the health benefits of forgoing plastic. At any rate they look pretty in there and the jars of salmon lined up on the shelf under the kitchen island are heart-warming. We'll need all the warming we can get when the rain sets in.