It's time to face the end-of-summer blues.(THE LAST LAUGH)(Column)

Each September it comes as a surprise to me that summer is almost over. I never have time to do all the things I want to do as often as I'd like--like sailing, swimming, biking, hiking--and too soon it's gone.

I grieve its passing. Just as a survivor mourns the death of a loved one, residents of a college town mourn the return of the students and teachers mourn the loss of their summer freedom, so I mourn the end of warmth, sunshine, water activities and the constant cooling lake breeze.

Summer also tends to bleach out my hair, so years ago I applied my brand of logic to the phenomenon: My hair turns blonde in summer. I have more fun in summer. Therefore, blondes do have more fun. Thus if I keep my hair blonde all year round, I'll have as much fun the whole year round as I do in summer.

My father would have called that "hole-in-head reasoning." But then, logic and philosophy were not part of my education.

There are other signs to indicate summer's end in Wisconsin.

The fleet is moving

My condo association provides a pier with 21 boat slips, one for every home. Luckily there are some older neighbors who don't use theirs, so I can maintain a fleet of four mighty ships at my disposal: two plastic kayaks, a used sailboat and a power boat.