Late Summer

I don't care if there are Christmas ornament displays popping up in stores - for me, it's still summer. 

The trees and garden are still going strong - even if it is late enough to be apple season here. 

While most of these apples are too wormy to eat, that makes the air just outside my door smell marvelous.

Not even the birds will touch these cherry-like fruits. They are as sour as anything I've tried.

 The pears aren't quite ready yet, but we're keeping an eye on them if we're to save them from the birds.

Can you tell we occasionally have elk in the yard? Four years ago, I'd never seen elk this far from the mountains, but we had two young bulls three years ago, and this summer it seems like they've been all over town. It's unusual to go more than a week without a sighting. I'm surprised we haven't had much damage from them before - though I do wonder what it was about this particular baby tree that got their interest so much... The other little fruit trees of similar size/age were left completely alone!

But even if apples should have me thinking about autumn, these colorful little faces keep my thoughts firmly grounded in summer. These were planted for our wedding, and I'm thrilled each time I see them still going strong. Oh, I'm sure they won't always populate that patch of bed, but it still warms my heart and takes me back to our wedding. And yes, some of these little ones bloomed nearly year round last year - so I know they don't really mean summer, or even spring.

Still, even if it seems like everyone else is starting to think about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, I'm happy to hold onto summer for a little bit longer.



And...Happy Birth Day to Baby C! That was surprising news to wake up to, but I am so happy to hear that she and her parents are doing well, despite the slightly earlier than expected arrival date.