How far can Fall be?

August. A month named after Julius's grandnephew Augustus. It also connotes grand, honorable, worthy and other such terms.

Well, in my own definition of August is certainly not grand, lordly, or revered. Think on it. As a child, August meant it was almost time to go back to school. Back "in the day" as my children say, school started after Labor Day. Once the crops were harvested, the fields plowed up for winter months and were fallow, it was time to settle back into book learning. So August meant the end of barefoot days to me. It also is always the hottest month of the year! Yikes! The older I get the less I like heat. I generate enough of my own these days!!!!


Each season has its chores. Knowing when to do them is something of an art. I know what needs to be done to prepare for each season around here. But sometimes it is good to just take some time and enjoy the waning and waxing of the seasons.

We are just about to enter into Fall. Hard to imagine that with all the record breaking temperatures we have had in this month. I was surprised at the grape ivy growing over one of the woodpiles. I have always heard that as the days grow longer so does the ivy. Don't know if that is true, but, it has a country charm to it. And that ivy certainly has started to take a life of it's own. Soon, however, I will gather it up and make another wreath out of it, combining some of my artemesia,
beebalm, sweet annie and other dried flowers from this summer.

We had a visitor last evening. The blasted ground hog has reproduced. This little fella was wallowing in the grass, having a good time. I was outside with my camera and his little rolling around caught the corner of my eye. I started to approach him and he stopped dead in his tracks and froze. I snapped this image and then he ran away faster than I could take pics. Hubby doesn't have the heart to be a hunter. He was standing outside with his rifle and said, no, too young. Can't kill a baby. As if getting rid of an adult is easier??? Well, they are cute in a rodent sort of way. And after all, they have already eaten all of our veggies this year anyway. Sigh. Next year, I will have a groundhog proof garden. That is my new mantra.