And Just Like That

It was just a few days ago that I was wandering my yard and admiring some of the flowers, including the Morning Glories which have taken over the fence line on one side of the backyard.  Their colors are so vibrant and if you squint just right you can almost ignore the other changes going on around you that tell you their time is nearing an end.

Muggy weather and warmer temps may still linger but you know that change is coming, and I think with age you can almost sense the changing of the seasons in a way you aren't able to when you are twenty something.

I think that is why I wander my surroundings more often than I used to, and I sometimes feel as though I'm now privy to a little secret that mother nature only imparts on people over 35.  A sense of time passing, of seasons changing, and a need to soak it all in a bit more than we once did.

Try as I might to hang on to Summer, even the nasty hot, drought ridden one we've had, there are some things you just can't ignore.  Today, after months of very little rain in our area...particularly in our section of the county we live in, the skies opened up and let go.

It was like watching someone who had held it in for far too long finally having a good cry, the kind that makes you feel better afterwards.  I had to wonder if even mother nature has those days, when she just has to let her guard down and let the tears flow as raindrops.  If so, then this was surely one of those days for her.

And just the mere image of rain drops pouring down my windowpanes, made me want to bake comfort food, unpack sweaters that haven't seen the light of day for months, and snuggle up beside a fire.

I guess we aren't unlike the tiny hummingbirds that are so frantically gathering at our feeders, fortifying themselves with much needed strength for their long journey southward in a few weeks.  I suppose that we too have our own internal clocks that tell us that when the tomato vines start to bend and brown, and the fruits start to mimic the colors of fall that we have work we need to do to get ready for the changing season.

I know that come this afternoon it will be hot and humid once again and the sun will shine brightly, but I also know that those endless stretches of sunny days and asphalt too hot to tread on will slowly give way to falling leaves and cooler temps.

But today, amidst all of the evidence to the contrary, I will pretend that summer is never-ending...because a little denial never hurt anyone right?!

Dazed and Confused

This week has been a bit of a blur.  We have cleaned up most of the trees and big leaf debris that came down on our property from Hurricane Irene, now there are just piles of things everywhere.  And my sister, brother, and brother in law have cleaned up the trees down at my parents.  It's been a daunting job and there is still more to do, like removing the other half of our big dead tree.  But after driving around our county and seeing the utter devastation to people's homes and property, our tree can wait so that the tree folks can get to the people who really need their help.  Besides, the dogs are liking the obstacle course of huge branches which still litter our backyard.

Besides work stuff, I have also been going a little nutty trying to decide what to do on our upcoming trip to Germany.  I'm not a big planner when it comea to travel, often not even knowing where we will stay or go until we get somewhere, but I would at least like to have some idea so that we can make the most of our trip.

We will spend 4 days in Heidelberg, Germany where Mr. Tide has some training, but the last 4 days will be ours to do with however we like.  I would love to venture south into northern France in the Alsace region, but trying to decide where exactly to go has become a bit overwhelming.  The wonderful thing about Europe is that there is so much, so close by, that you can literally lose your mind trying to figure out where to go!  We could go to Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, or stay right in Germany!  I've been looking at the TGV train routes and the world is our oyster, which is both good and bad!  I finally sent Mr. Tide an email this morning telling him my head is spinning and I just might wait until we get there and can talk to the locals to decide where to go.

That's exactly what my daughter and I did a few years ago on a trip to England, and we got to see some of the most beautiful and out of the way places that way.  France appeals to me because we loved our time in the south of France and Paris a few years ago, and I would love a taste of that magical french bread again!  Mr. Tide suggested taking the train back to Paris, which is less than a 4 hour trip.  But I am torn, I know you can never visit Paris too many times, but we've been there, and the thought of going someplace else is weighing on me and sparking my sense of adventure and discovery.

I also looked in to going to Strasbourg, France, which looks amazing, like it fell out of a medieval fairytale book!  But it also looks a bit touristy, which isn't really our style...sigh, so many choices!  A few friends have also made suggestions...thank you Traci, but I am still dazed and confused about where to go.  I know, poor pitiful me right?!

And to top it all off, the budget this month is shot because of college tuition for our son, books, meal plans, and now tree removal!  But I still plan to enjoy myself while I'm over there.

So I will leave the comments open for this post in hopes that one of you, any of you, can tell me where to go...including hell if you like!

I am slowly working through my emails, I have hundreds to return, but made it through about 30 yesterday, so by the end of the year I should be caught up! ;-) 

No Way

There is no way it's been almost a week since I last posted?!

There is no way it's already August the 1st!!!

There is no way that I haven't returned a single email in DAYS...not one!

And there is no way I can get up every morning and not go outside to check on these sweet morning glories that fill my fence...love them!

I've been under the weather with some sort of cough, most likely allergy related since I only hack when I've been outside, but it's been kicking my behind.  Then Mr. Tide launched off to far flung places for work this weekend with less than 24 hours notice...hate that about his job!  So there is no way I'll be doing anything except the necessary cleaning, cooking, dog and work stuff for the foreseeable future.  

I hope there is no way you are having anything but a perfect day!

Moving at a Snail's Pace

Today I ventured down to our dock to get an up close and personal view of our swamp hibiscus or marsh mallows in full bloom.  They are really outdoing themselves this year.  And I also noticed that we had a few visitors on the marsh grasses...these little snails.

I have decided to name them Gary (in honor of Spongebob's pet snail), and Escar Go (it seems less morbid if I break it in to 2 names and misspell it!), who is visiting from France.

I love their bright green ribbed shells, but I didn't want to keep them in the hot sun for too long or they might become a little dry and crispy!

So after snapping a few shots with my uber cool new macro lens (a treat to myself bought with photo shoot and writing money), they were free to return to the cool shade and slightly cool waters of the creek.

I have to say that I love this new macro lens, but learning to use it has been harder than I thought.  If you move just a teeny, tiny bit, you loose your focus because the depth of field is so shallow.  I'm learning, but it's hard teaching an old dog new tricks!  But when you can get up close and personal with your subjects, it makes it all worth it!  Thanks Kate for encouraging me to buy a macro lens, now maybe I can take pictures as lovely as YOURS! :-)

And thank you for your sweet comments about my new venture into portrait photography.  After I posted yesterday I realized that I had used the low res versions of each picture, but I was just too darned lazy to replace them with the higher quality ones...so they will forever remain a little fuzzy looking on my post!

And one more thing before I go, thanks for your comments on my post about what this time of year means to you, I so enjoyed reading all of your comments!!