I woke at 5 a.m. hearing rain gently hitting the roof. It was so soothing (even though we've really had enough rain already). I eventually got up and headed downstairs to put the coffee on. It is mild this morning...and damp...and humid. It is August (already!) and that pleases me. I'm not real fond of Summer (especially since I don't/can't go in the sun these days) and Fall is my most favorite season.
The yard is looking very Fall-like:
The lawn is littered with leaves from our apple tree. I'm sure this is stress (this is the tree that bloomed last Fall - weird) and not a sign of an early Fall. This morning as I sat on the patio with my coffee a doe came into the yard and after several minutes came to the tree. She nosed around and found one or two of the small apples that have fallen. She was close enough that I could hear the crunch of the apple when she chewed! (They are really messy eaters.) The black spot on the right is wind chimes and that's Tyg on the bench heading to his favorite spot:
He loves to lay on this table and survey His property - lol. Always keeping an eye out for Steve (the groundhog), the deer and any mouse or vole foolish enough to show their face.
Garden produce is still coming in strong (onions, green beans, cherry tomatoes and carrots). We have yet to dig for sweet potatoes. A couple of volunteer plants have shown up (as usual). First up a grape tomato plant - the fruit is still all green, but it shouldn't be too long:
And best of all, a volunteer pumpkin vine (which is dying already). There are 3 pumpkins so far:
Fletch has propped them off the ground so that they (hopefully) won't rot.
On the knitting front...no unraveling this week (also very little knitting). Here's a shot of the Juniper top - 4" so far, so quite a way to go before I get to the top:
I'm loving the color and the yarn, but I've just been too weary most nights to concentrate enough to knit. Winter Sea has been blocked and dried. No glamour shots, but here it is on the back of the chair waiting for a chilly morn or night to drape around my shoulders. You can see the pattern much better now, I think.
On the reading front, I mentioned Monday that I finished the Essex Serpent which I did enjoy (4 stars). I'm almost finished White Houses by Amy Bloom. It's a quick read...not great literature by any means (at times it is almost like a soap opera), but I am enjoying it. I think the book "Eleanor and Hick" has better reviews, but that was unavailable to me on Overdrive, so I went with White Houses. True to form, I had about 6 books come through on Overdrive last week. HA! I won't be able to read them all within 3 weeks, but I've made a list (again) so that when my reading pile has diminished I can request some again.
Work is work. I'm very busy - busier than I've been in a long time, which is fine - makes the days go more quickly (but makes it more difficult to concentrate at night as noted above). Things will iron out. Both the Lame Duck and the Successor to Lame Duck will be in the office next week for meetings. Will be interesting. So far I am managing the Successor's prancing and strutting around like a prima donna. It's a show for sure! I'm looking forward to the last week of August when I'll be on Hilton Head Island for the Lame Duck's last hurrah (billed as a meeting, but it's not). Lots of golf for those who do that...not me - I'll be booking a lovely spa appointment. We've got dinners planned and perhaps some harbor-hopping around the Island - I'm still in the planning stages for this one. But, my flights are booked and the contract with the resort has been signed. It will be fun!
Now, however, I'd best get to work. Wishing you all a Happy August!
