July

If I’m out and about in the car, which we have been quite a bit over the last several weeks, I notice changes, the changes signaling the upcoming seasonal shift. It is still two months away, but it is coming. It is noticeable on social media feeds and garden blogs, too, with people thinking about fall crops. We may be smack-dab in the middle of summer but for me it already feels like we’re on the top of the peak and about to start the downward slide. Sure, there’s plenty of heat left in store for us but it took living in Florida for me to really pay attention to the phenological changes that mark the passing of a season. It always drove me batty when I would hear from people in Florida that there weren’t any seasons! Sure, there might not be snow on the ground in January, but there was a season called winter. There are seasons, they are subtle and that same effect is here in my area of Texas, too.

I’ve noticed the goldenrod already begin lumbering over the surrounding vegetation, aiming for that late August and September bloom period. The beautyberries have been blooming for awhile and there are already little green fruits forming, patiently waiting to turn that wonderful shade of purple. I was going to call it aubergine but it isn’t that dark. It’s beautyberry purple. Can we have a shade of purple named beautyberry?

In the garden the formosa lilies are the stars of the garden currently. There are plenty of other plants blooming right now but the lilies are what you see front and center when you pull up at the house. It’s been an easier time trying to maintain the gardens this summer though we are by far not on top of everything. I’ve pretty much put weeding the flower bed paths as lowest priority and that has begun to show, so I guess it is time to start working a little bit on that. The deer have been something awful this summer, mostly thanks to our neighbor feeding them. It wouldn’t be a big deal if, you know, we didn’t have a garden, but they migrate over to our yard between their meals over there and not only are they eating some plants but their hooves are tearing up the mulch so I’m constantly trying to fluff the dirt back.

We’ve had busy out-of-town weekends the last three weekends with a fairly full schedule the weeks before that. Needless to say, I need some introvert time at home. All of the travel has really helped to speed up the summer, too. I wanted to do a few crafty things with Forest and maybe some evening park explorations around here. It is really too hot to do a lot of hiking but evenings are sometimes cool enough to enjoy something like that.

Along with just taking it easy for awhile, it is time to do some cleaning out and moving around of baby and toddler items. Forest is officially out of his high chair or booster seat and is now a full-fledged member of the dinner table. And his crib came down in May and so he sleeps on the crib mattress on his floor for now. There are transitions afoot. Three is coming up fast for Forest!

That’s where summer is for us right now. I’ve been reading fairly heavily and will have another book review at the end of the month. I’m also finally in a lull with tv/Netflix watching. I caught up on Orange is the New Black and Better Call Saul so I have nothing until the fall tv season starts up unless something gets scheduled for an August release that I’m not in the know about.

What about you? How is your summer going?