August’s Summer

The hot days of summer have blurred my senses.

Only to be awakened by the scent of apple things baking in the oven…

Early, warm weather climate apples, braved the heat and did so well.

A smattering of flowers keeps coming in, brave as well.

Zinnias and sunflowers weave smiles onto the faces of droopy garden keepers.

Crunch!

So sweet, a little tart, perfect.

A gift for the gardener.

There are apple trees for warmer climates that do not need as many cold days in order to flower in spring.

I have a few of both at my homes, Anna and Dorsett Golden.

These are the Anna apples.

They do so well despite our heat in the high desert and truly inspire the soul.

Baking apple crisps with cinnamon, sugar, oats…

The most comforting scent.

A few white sunflowers for good measure.

Of course, my heart always swoons at the pumpkin blossoms.

Curly and ruffled.

Happy near the sunshine loving zinnias.

I collect a few tattered flowers for inside.

Although, this year I have mostly let them thrive outside and have just enjoyed them in the garden.

Quick trips in and out of the garden.

It’s hotter than ever before this year.

We become giddy when rain clouds start to form.

It is monsoon season.

We have seen a couple rains, but it rained like mad for days at my mom’s house a couple hours south.

I was there for a few days with her as it was her birthday week.

We had the loveliest time.

There were several hailstorms as well, with ping pong ball sized hail that I thought would crash through the skylights at any time.

I came back home to my zinnias flowering again and my pups.

I pruned the zinnias really well before I left.

This summer has been a summer of reading like mad.

I’ve really gone out of my way to carve the time out to read.

To read before bed.

To read when I take a little afternoon break.

It’s been the most wonderful.

This is my little reading nook, with a great big cozy chair and heaps of books all around.

It makes such a difference to take the time to give your brain some love.

In this digital age of scrolling and endless things to watch on the phone, a book is a wonderful break.

I’ve really tried to spend less time on my phone this last year.

I’ve listened to a million audiobooks and done all sorts of little projects around my house.

It’s almost like I’m reprogramming my brain and now sometimes I even forget to pick up my phone.

First daylight through the garden.

Soft music.

Book pages.

Sleepy dogs.

Just a few of my favorite things.

 

Here is a little thing I wrote about August’s Summer…