Where oh where did my summer go? It’s still summer and yet, school starts tomorrow. I’ve been working lots and haven’t had nearly enough pool time.

Still, I plan to enjoy this later part of summer between all the faux fall business. And hopefully, do a much better job blogging about it.

I know a few friends who might favor late summer because it’s that much closer to fall.  Six weeks of summer left if you’re counting. I actually saw a ground-hog tonight. He couldn’t see his shadow due to the clouds. I think that means 6 full weeks of summer left, right?  Sorry, no early fall this year.

A few of my late summer favorites: Monarch butterflies, the beginning of the migrating birds, sunflowers, Labor Day weekend, fairs and carnivals (though I don’t know how many we’ll get to visit), late summer garden harvest and fried green tomatoes.

This post was pretty short as its main function was just to get our link up. I do have a longer post in progress for later.

What are some of your late summer favorites?

First a brief blog update and announcement: If you tried accessing my blog lately and wondered when I decided to start selling pharmaceuticals, don’t worry. I’m not running a side business peddling wonder drugs to men.  Stupid hackers!  Fixed now.

On to my regularly (actually, unscheduled) posting:  

Officially, summer’s not over until September!

Unofficially, school starts tomorrow. Lots of area schools (including my preschool) started earlier this week.  I’m only working a half-day today so we can go do “fun” things like:

• haircuts (yes, this was on the to-do list a few weeks ago but was a big to-didn’t)
• school supply scavenger hunt in the house (HA!) just to make sure we have a few things (The high school senior, gulp, doesn’t really need anything but pencils. We have a list for the 8th grader but we’re not seriously following it until I know what the teachers request)
• Possibly running out to buy an 8th grade band book
• Water balloons (must have some fun!)
• Not back to school related but we need to pick up a birthday card for my husband’s grandfather. He turns 99(!) on Saturday!

If you’re a kindergarten parent, this parent of now senior in  high school says save a few tears and tissues for that year!

Other Random Thoughts From The Week:

• Now that G’s an official driver, I’ve hardly seen him. My husband says this is normal. I say I still don’t like it.
• Part of this is because I’m essentially working a full-time schedule again this week. I like being there and seeing all the new (and old) faces of the kids but I do miss being at home. No peaceful, quiet house for me tomorrow as I’ll be at work. No hearing about the boys’ first days until after 5 PM for me.
• Our 30 Days of Summer blog series doesn’t stop this week. Still have 6 weeks to join us in our fun! Link up goes live every Thursday morning at 6:00 AM and you can link up any summer themed post.
• Boring non-school related things on my list today: pay insanely high electric bill (there’s a reason to want fall weather) and renew library books.
• Realizing I forgot to unload the dishwasher so really didn’t have time for this post.

Off to work I go. If you’re reading this, hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

(And if you came here looking to sell or purchase pharmaceuticals, kindly take your business elsewhere!)

My husband loves those online find the image puzzles. And many kids enjoy the I Spy books.

This morning I sat on the front porch soaking in some sunlight after watering my garden. I noticed a bit of movement near my hanging basket of petunias.

Do you see it?
Hint: It’s not purple. Those are my purple petunias!

Look closer at the green stems near the spent flowers. Do you see it now?  Maybe just a little as it’s behind the stem pictured above. How about a closer look at the greenery of the flowers?  Can you see the green Walking stick hiding in the photo? He’s on the bottom of the greenery. Doesn’t he blend in well?  Here’s the first angle again. Easier to see him now that you know he’s there.  Here’s a bit of information about our Walking Stick. I believe this one is a juvenile.

Do you like hidden picture puzzles?

Every summer I plan out my ideal garden. The small flower garden I have now is a mishmash of flowers and weeds.

Still, I love to sit on the front porch and take it all in on hospitable afternoons and evenings. Walk about the yard and practice close up flower photos. Sometimes I can even manage to capture a bee at work!

My small ramshackle garden area is to the side of the front porch.  Each summer, I also spend time on the front porch and walking about the yard dreaming of the ideal gardens for each space.

The butterfly garden I’ll plant at the end of the driveway with milkweed, purple cone-flowers, and maybe some cornflowers or Lewis flax.

Sunflowers, my yard must have sunflowers! I’ve planted them before with mixed results. Sometimes, I think I’ll line the whole south side of the house with them. This year, I’ve toyed with the idea of pots of them around the front porch.

The south side of the house gets bulbs instead. The spring garden filled with irises and tulips.

We have our vegetable garden, this year: 3 tomatoes and a cucumber start in addition to the handful of green beans harvested earlier. Carrots still grow. Okra, no blooms yet, grows as well.

The backyard presents so many challenges.  Lovely tall oak and maple trees mean not as much sun. I change my mind about what I want constantly. A sun room and a patio. A pool (not likely), a fire pit perhaps. All surrounded by big beautiful pots of flowers. Shade loving flowers. And of course, paths and benches.

Isn’t it fun to dream about ideal summer garden spaces? Especially, when the in reality, I’m not much of a gardener.

Last Saturday, I visited my friend and fellow blogger, Rebecca from Rebecca’s Hearth And Home. She’s co-hosting the 30 Days of Summer blogging series.

We both live in Missouri.  Saturday I took a solo road trip to visit her down at Prairie State Park. It’s about a 2 hour drive from here.  Meant I didn’t need to leave here at the crack of dawn. Slept in a bit, filled the car with gas, ran by McDonald’s for breakfast, and hit the road.

Have you ever gone on a solo road trip?

Rebecca gave me a rock star tour of the park! Did I mention she’s just as lovely in person as in blogland? And of course, I didn’t get a single picture of us together. Thankfully, she thought to have us take a selfie on the prairie with her device. You can see that picture on her post here.

Prairie State Park is quite large. Large enough for a buffalo herd to roam!  We toured the park in a truck first.  I learned so much about the buffalo and prairie from her.

Our first stop was to observe the buffalo:

Eventually, we made our way back to the nature center and she (hopefully) managed to get a bit of work done while I wandered around the displays and watched a very interesting movie about the prairie.  Hard to imagine my beloved trees were once so sparse.

Next, she graciously agreed to go on a hike with me out on the prairie.  

The prairie’s not flat and soon we could no longer see the nature center building from the trail. The prairie is large and expansive and full of wildflowers!  And insects! Loud buzzing cicadas. One flew by and I may have jumped a few feet! Bees. Butterflies. Grasshoppers.

She pointed out some special birds (more about those in Saturday’s bird watching post): 

Did I mention the prairie is massive? In the short time I spent there, they had to search for 3 lost hikers! All safely found.

A quick hike behind the building to try to capture the wide open feeling of the prairie:

Photos just can’t quite capture it. Like they can’t quite capture the wonderful time I had meeting a new friend who felt like an old friend.

Extra time to spend with friends, new and old alike. One of the best parts of summer!