I woke up this morning, and I stepped outside like I do first thing almost every morning, and was struck by the chill in the air. It is still hot and sticky most of the time around here, but some mornings, and some evenings, I am reminded about how close the end of summer is.
The apples on our tree are not very big but they are turning red. This tree is nearing the end of its producing life sadly, but it still pushes out so much fruit. We used to eat from it for so many years, our neighbors did, people from all over our neighborhood would snag an apple. Kids played hide and seek under our tree, squirrels and birds have used it as a haven, and the cat next door sleeps in the violets, in the shade underneath on warm summer days. We even had baby possums under there one year. The tree is looking sad these days, and we need to decide what to do. I think we will just trim it back very hard in hopes of healing it some, and that will take a few years in itself, since you can’t do too much at once. At this point, I just want it to thrive but it doesn’t have to feed everyone anymore. It can take a break. It has done its job.
There are other signs too – the dandelions that are left are mostly gone to fluff, night comes a wee bit earlier. But there are still a few weeks left to hang on to that summer feeling. To eat fresh produce from the farmers market and gardens, to swim in pools and lakes and oceans, to take a summer vacation before school begins. To sip iced drinks outside with friends, listening to birds and counting caterpillars on the rue and the milkweed, and watch the swifts and hummingbirds dip in and out of the yard.
I am hoping to do a few things with Wyatt before we start school next month. Next month he also starts back to physical therapy, the first after his surgery, and he will go two days a week. Our newly renamed and reorganized group, from Scouts to the Blackbirds, begins next month, school, things will be busy. I don’t want to just skip these last few weeks, although we do need to keep things easy and light for now.
Today is my niece Mermaid Girl’s birthday. Like Wyatt, she is now 10! She is the sweetest kid, thoughtful, fiercely protective of her little sister and of Wyatt, wildly creative and imaginative, and a yellow belt in karate so watch out! We are going there tonight for cake and ice cream and it will be good to get out, all of us together, for something fun. Their garden is full of cucumbers and tomatoes right now, and my youngest niece loves to “help” her mother pick the vegetables, although she does not discern between ripe or not. I stopped over the other night to pick up some extra rue for my the black swallowtail caterpillars I saved from the birds in our yard, and little one was racing around helping garden. I left with more than rue – in fact the handful of gifts I left with courtesy of that little elf made me think of this limbo time, the transition between summer and fall. A few tiny green tomatoes, a few ripe, with an acorn or two thrown in for good measure.
And that is it from me today. Just some short ramblings. I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
The seasons are definitely preparing for their shift ❤ The light is changing, the sun is starting to set further south, the poplars are turning gold – right on schedule, as the promise of things to come 🙂 We’re savoring the end of summer, but looking forward to the return of fall ❤
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It’s such a bittersweet time I think, when the bounty and lushness of summer starts to fade but before the leaves turn. There is still plenty to enjoy though!
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So happy to have found your blog, I will for sure be back again. As you mentioned, the season is changing. We had high temps for the past two weeks and today it’s raining.Visiting via Weekend Traffic Jam RebootMy entries this week #50+51+52Hope to see you also share with SSPS & HIH https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
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Aw thank you Esme! We could use some rain around here. It keeps missing us!
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I can’t eat breakfast outside in the mornings anymore until I wait until after 9 or so otherwise my chairs are all covered in dew and we’ve definitely had some chilly mornings where I wouldn’t want to sit out there. But our days are still warming up quite nicely so I’m embracing summer for as long as I can. We did tour another college this week so I know that come September we’ll not only buckle down to school work but we’ll start the whole application process.
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Fall is creeping in! But there is still a lot of summer left!
And college tours!! So exciting!!
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It will be a little bit before we have chilly mornings and evenings. But, I have definitely noticed the days getting shorter. I do hope we have a reaaaallllly long fall this year. I hope that every year, but, alas, we rarely do.
You truly have the soul of a poet, Erin. I love the way you describe these waning days of summer. I miss those kinds of things. Here in our little condo community and with so little yard to call my own, I’m growing a little tired of the same old, same old. But, I will continue to water just to see how much longer the flowers and ferns will hold out. I hope your apple tree continues on for several more years. We had one that never gave fruit you would actually want to eat. But, I can’t tell you how many days I spent sitting up in it and wondering about life. Mom eventually had it cut down because it was easier to mow without it. She and I did not share the same love of trees, obviously.
Happy birthday to Mermaid Girl! I hope the coming year brings her all kinds of joy and new things! Here’s to a wonderful school year for Wyatt and growing strength through therapy! And, congratulations on the new name for the group…it’s perfect!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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I am hoping for a nice long fall as well. I dislike warm and sweaty Octobers. Lol.
Aw thank you Marsha! I love ferns but I am so bad at keeping them alive! And thank you. Poor old thing. It’s trying! I love that you had an apple tree that you pondered life in. It was probably a great place, hidden by the leaves. This one used to have such good apples, but now they are not so great. I will feel sad when it is gone! The spring we brought Wyatt home was one of the best for that tree, it was like a big pink and white puff ball, full of apple blossoms. It was beautiful.
And thank you Marsha!
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I’ve heard that trees often have a ‘swan song’ of sorts where they become extra productive before they die…sort of a way of trying to maximize seed dispersal, I guess.
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Oh that is very interesting! I wonder if this is our tree’s swan song summer.
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I can’t wait for fall. The last few days were so hot that I struggled even more than usual. They promised relief for next week, let’s hope.
That was a lovely post to read, Erin.
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It’s been bad. I hope that the weather turns and that you are doing better Cat. And thank you!
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I’ve noticed I have a sunrise to look at as I head out early to the gym, which shows the days are creeping shorter. But we’re still getting plenty of tomatoes ripening on the three plants I’ve grown!
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It must be nice to catch the sunrise in the morning on your way there!
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