Mum's the word....

A stroll around my late summer garden yields lots of tucked in surprises. There is the fragrant rosemary..waiting to be brought in before winter winds...clumps of black eyed susies, enough to have bouquets all over my house, if I should choose to pick them all and leave the stalks bare. I also have a small fenced in pumpkin patch that knows no boundaries!! But the most lovely of all is the chrysanthemum. They are colorful against the white picket fence as I have them in every hue. The mum (the nickname) is of Chinese and Japanese origin and have an inherent insect repellent. Country folk would often tie up bundles of them and hang in barns to chase away insects and fleas.

As for me, I just like filling old crocks and antique vases of mums and placing all through my house...as a reminder of summer's beauty and the teasing of the upcoming autumn.

First week of schoool....

So the first week of school has now come and gone. I can remember so well the first week when I was a child. The only fun part of going back was having new clothes, new shoes. I just loved summer. When I had a family with my children I dreaded going back to school for all of us..time seems to be marked by school years and the school calendar. Now that it is just me, I guess it is different. School appears to be the place that I need to be..the place where I am. Or does school keep me from the place I need to be???? Too deep of a thought for a hot Friday afternoon. There was no heat in Indiana until the first day of school. The past few days have been so hot...sweat drips off children and teachers as well. By 10:30 learning has stopped...daydreaming has taken over...daydreaming of summer vacations, cool pools, frog bogs, bright nights....the kids seem to be having a hard time as well!!!

Ferry Horns and Train Whistles...

The unpacking is all finished...everything back to where it started last spring..boxes stored in the garage..new seashells in cupboards and bowls. Home again.

Saturday was the end of summer concert in the park. The night was stunnng...cool and clear. The quarter moon was so visible in the night sky. I took my lawn chair and walked over to the park, getting a good seat to hear the rock'n roll band. They are always a crowd pleaser. There were little stands of hot dogs and sloppy joes and even hot chocolate as the night was in the 40's.

Sunday night was a birthday party for Adam and Aaron. Aaron lives here in town now...but Adam and Tonya were here for a visit. The had invited lots of their friends for a typical cook out an dairy queen cake. The highlight of the evening was the watermelon seed spitting contest. It was won by my niece who didn't want to enter as she is/was a "non-spitter". We had Olympic time trials and lined up the three winners as we sang the National Anthem.

It is good to have family and friends around...it is helping me get through this transition. But some things have changed..from we to I...from walking around the lighthouse to walking through the park..from ferry horns to train whistles...from sharing each moment with someone I love to quiet evenings alone.