Milestones and change

August 2015:August is a time when change is in the air. Davis is still hot and dusty. Summer is not quite done with us, but there is a sense of renewal and anticipation.This change is most evident for scores of school kids in Davis as they get ready to go back to school. The early morning is cool enough to fool us into thinking that autumn is not too far away.I love being on a school campus this week, a day or two before school actually begins. I enjoy peeking into empty classrooms, the floors gleaming, and the desks neat and clean.  Teachers trickle in, tanned, happy and relaxed. Teachers are an amazing lot. Each year they come to school with open hearts and open minds, eager to see what kind of students end up in their classrooms. Patience and endurance are a common trait.For the first time in a decade I will miss the hustle and bustle of that precious first week of school. Instead of getting ready to greet students in the school library, I will be tying my bathrobe tighter around my waist and hunkering down to write.Yes, change is in the air for me too this August! Like any transition, I’m working on a routine, staying away from Facebook and social media as I plot out my next novel.It is an adventure and a challenge, very much like life on an elementary school campus.  In the next ten months just as students get transformed, molded and refined, I hope my writing will too!