Now that summer is here - with all its heat - I often get up at daybreak...
I hate to miss the sunrise...
But I also like to open all the windows and doors - all that have screens, that is. For several hours, I cool off the house - before closing everything up at 8 AM, to conserve the cooler air.
Fresh, cool air: natural "air conditioning"!
We have reached the year's longest days...
The light of dawn arrives before 5 AM.
These photos were taken by my son at 5:15 AM - sunrise - as he rode the bus to work.
I hate to miss these "gifts" - but I slept through this one!
"I hope you didn't miss this beautiful sunrise," he texted me. "Here are some pictures, in case you did!"
There was music and food - and lots of crafts for sale.
As my son and I perused the bake table outside a local church next to the mill, it was hard to choose!
We ended up buying rhubarb cake, chocolate chip cookies and beautifully iced cupcakes.
When we got home, we realized that the only mistake we made was NOT BUYING MORE!!
It was all so delicious!
Terry was shopping for a new barbecue cover - so we headed over to one of those large sporting goods stores, to browse.
While he searched the barbecue section, I stood - transfixed - near these portable outdoor shelters...
Our yard could surely use this - to protect us from mosquitoes while we sat outdoors.
And what about this cute little tent? Terry and I have never gone camping - but maybe the grandkids and I could sleep in our backyard sometime... Wouldn't that be fun?!
(Though with all the animals that roam at night in our neighborhood, maybe we'd need to get a guard dog first!)
I love early summer mornings - especially if the air outdoors is fresh and cool...
I open all the doors and windows to let the cool morning breeze flow in.
Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I see baby bunnies hop out of the front flower bed, where I think they live.
Early morning is also the time I see birds, squirrels ... and an occasional skunk, returning home to sleep after hunting for food (tearing up lawns to find grubs to eat) all night.
Terry and I finally bought our first basket of local strawberries!
I'm not sure why we didn't get any earlier. This stand is on our way home from the mall. (I took a picture, in part, because I love the little red horse-carriage!)
Maybe the thought of having to deal with them - we often make freezer jam.
I guess it's also time to buy A LOT of SUGAR! It's always a shock to see the proportion of crushed fruit to sugar in the jam recipe.
But we really enjoy eating it on toast or in plain yogurt once it's done!
Last summer, I noticed a bird house display in Brockville…
This summer I saw this one in Almonte.
It’s lovely to see outdoor art that suits the season.
What a fun hobby - building and decorating cute birdhouses!
The storm that tore through our part of town last May, uprooting trees, caused other problems as well. Roofs of houses were damaged by wind and falling branches.
In Earl and Mary’s backyard, across the street, the house and greenhouse were spared. But the gazebo bore the brunt of the damage caused by falling branches.
Last week - three months after the storm - arborists removed damaged and hanging limbs from their large backyard tree. Not long afterwards, they went out to buy a new gazebo.
This is what our backyard was supposed to look like all summer, Mary said.
It looks lovely and peaceful now! Better late than never!
I always think of them as late summer flowers.
As I survey the garden, I wonder:
What’s left to bloom in August and September?
Even the beautiful Japanese anemones - that bloom in fall - are already budding.
Do I need to add flowers with an even later blooming season?
Or should I simply add annuals - as many gardeners do? Annuals have the longest blooming season. They continue to bloom until the first frost.
My summer has been pleasantly lazy this year…
For some reason, I seem to wake up early… around sunrise (4 or 5 AM). I open all the windows, if the air outside is cool, and enjoy cooling the house off a bit.
Around 8, I close the windows to keep the cool air in.
My main pastimes are knitting, reading and doing online word games (Wordle, Quordle, etc.)
My rationale: We’re not planning to go away on vacation this year because Covid infections continue, so I’m trying to enjoy a relaxing time at home!
Early July is my favourite time of the summer.
Tall, colourful flowers are in bloom everywhere in our yard.
(Especially if I’ve been negligent in weeding!)
Their beauty “feeds” me more than a vegetable garden could - especially since the squirrels often get the food before I do!
Summer is my absolutely favourite season…
When we first moved to our house, I’d buy flats of annuals to fill the garden beds with flowers.
But I now have so many perennials, where would I put them?!
I can’t find a bare spot!
Strawberry season has arrived early this year!
We headed to our closest strawberry patch..,
Decided NOT to pick our own! (Maybe next time!)
And quickly headed home. We usually follow this ritual twice a week until local strawberry season is over.
Most of my life, I was a student ... or a teacher, so the end of August - to me - signals summer’s end.
Looking back at my summer photos brings back so many memories. Flowers that have come and gone...
All too brief family visits...
Ice cream!
Surprise visitors in the garden...
Two trips to Toronto and Guelph... So thankful for it all!
