Sunday, August 1, 2021

August 1st! Imagine that!

Just checking in to acknowledge the beginning of a new month and the start of the downward spiral of summer. When sunflowers take off, you know that you are headed into the second half of summer. Hard to believe, yet here we are. 


This particular change to the next season is a tune with its own unique playlist. The days will begin transitioning with oddly-familiar breezes that you cannot quite place until you realize that it's a very cool breeze layered over top of a too-warm day. That's the promise of crisper weather to come. 

Then, the melancholy sets in around the first of September. It's still warm, but the bugs and the garden know their time is shortening. The sound the bugs make gets more intense in the evening hours. You can hear their urgency. They sky starts to slightly change hues of blue, and at some point, a golden glow becomes part of the end-of-day routine. It is a stunning transition and far, far more beautiful in its own way than the actual arrival of Autumn. 

I used to think I loved Autumn the most but, no, I don't. It's the transition from summer to fall that I love the most. It's sheer comfort, but it's also painful. I physically and psychologically feel the earth change during those days; it's the one time of the year where I firmly believe that my mind and body are in direct sympathy with the earth. My head is clearer, and on the days when the transition is represented by that first cold morning, I come very alive. I can feel everything. 

Perhaps that makes me a bit of a kook, but then, again, I think that God put this in me. I think He put this in everyone, actually. Humans just have to take the time to allow themselves to fall deeply - very deeply - into this part of ourselves. Otherwise, we will have lived a lifetime without truly knowing His creation.

Speaking of His creation, we have had each of these rescues since they were babies. I'm extremely attached to them. They both get whatever they want. I just had to indulge myself with a couple of baby pictures, as usual.



I need to get some updated pictures of the pumpkin patch. It's taking off, and there are gorgeous, giant blooms with little bees now. We planted the pumpkins significantly later this year, so it will be interesting to see how they do. I'm hoping to have pumpkins by mid-October. Previous planting seasons meant the pumpkins were ready in September, which has a few too many warm days, really, to be setting out pumpkins and expecting them to last through Thanksgiving. 

Storms our way today, which makes me perpetually sleepy throughout the day. I believe the best word to describe it is "sluggish." We knocked out a couple of larger jobs around the house yesterday, and that felt really good. The weather was nearly perfect yesterday. 

Today, however, is a good day to stay inside and do some additional cleaning out, but I also need to go to the store. Food is tax-free through August 5th, so I need to get a list together and buy some additional items this go-around. I cleaned out a couple of cabinets yesterday in anticipation of doing so. This morning, the freezer gets the cleaning treatment for veggie stock-up. 

My stock-up list includes frozen and canned veg, tuna, cornbread mixes, potato au gratin dinners, pasta, sauces . . . you get the picture. I'm not opposed to using prepared foods or semi-prepared foods. I enjoy quite a lot of them, and if I'm honest, homemade IS better but not that much better. Plus, if you work a job with long hours, you quickly find out that the semi-prepared foods can be helpful at times.

I'm off to finish my list. Happy August 1st to you. Here's hoping for a few more sunny, summer days ahead!

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