Back to School. For students and teachers, it is the start of a new school year. For those of us not in school, it is a little extra traffic on the road in the morning.

For me, every year when back-to-school time comes around, I find myself reminiscing about my first days of school. There was always a new outfit, which as you can see in the picture was often less cool than I remember, but hey, it was the 80s . . . And besides just clothes, there was often a new backpack, freshly sharpened pencils, and a trapper keeper ready to organize the new year. For my family, back-to-school breakfast was always French toast. Then when it was time, we loaded in the car, headed to the bus stop or in later years, drove ourselves to school. That day was always exciting. New friends, new classes, a new year.

It’s the new-ness of everything that makes back to school so exciting. It’s a fresh start. And we all love a fresh start. And even though the kids are back in school a little earlier than they used to be, it is still a signal that an end to summer is in sight and that fall will be on its way soon.

So, grab a little of the back-to-school excitement and get something started for yourself. We are into the dog days of summer, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to do in the garden. And hey, maybe with the kids back in school, you’ll have a little more time to get to it. Before you know it, fall veggie season will be here and even though it isn’t time to plant just yet, it is time to prepare the soil. With that work done now, when the first days of fall arrive, you’ll be ready to go back to the garden. I think that is even more exciting than back to school.