OH THOSE MEAT BEES!!!

I've about had it with trying to spend anytime out doors this summer.  We've been under attack from an overload of meat bees.  At every turn, they are in your face, buzzing your feet, and dive bombing near and far. 

Two days ago I stumbled upon a underground nest out back in an area that is natural vegetation .. yet a place that gets mowed a few times each summer.  From a quick google search on how to eradicate the pests, most advised to leave late summer nests alone to let the first good frost kill the nest .. at which time closing it off.  This nest has an entrance hole 3 inches wide.  Hubby got stung while watering in the general area .. after I warned him about the bees.  (Knowing him, he probably let the hose spray water over the nest ... he's a guy .. just saying). 

I've seen these little buggers completely devour dead birds and insects .. bones and all in the course of a day.  Not one to wish away time .. the first good frost is mighty appealing right about now.

Savoring The Last Bit

... of summer. 

Already the leaves on our maple trees are starting to be tinged with yellow and flame red.  Hints of cooler temperatures can be felt upon the daytime breeze ... and the nights .. well, they are getting chilly.  School starts once again the day after Labor Day ... and then I can begin my LONG rest.  It happens each year.  Look forward to spring (which bypassed us this year) ... then work like a dog all summer ... and slide right into the restful mode that autumn ushers in.  We are predicted to have a snowy winter this year.  Each season is a welcome change from the one that just passed.  We are still busy storing away food for the colder months ahead.  Our freezers are full and the storage pantry should be overflowing in the weeks to come.  The cycle will begin once again ... Life goes on.  Ebb and flow.  The cricket will have its swan song soon enough ... then the quiet peace will return as our little area settles in for a long winter's nap, once again devoid of summer's tourists.

Photo credit:  Carl Larsson, Apple Harvest

Swimming in Tomatoes

OK, OK, I'm up to my eyeballs canning tomatoes :) And going on dates with the Mr. .. and frying chicken dinners for my kids .. and sending daughter to college this week .. and putting the garden to bed .. and looking for my paper to send to Dr. B. The sky is falling, it just hit me on the head ;)

Just Loving The End of Summer

With weather in the 70's and 80's ... lows in the 40's ... there's a new step in my walk ;) A few mornings I've even turned on the free standing heater stove. Clean air, blue skies, white clouds, just a hint of color in the trees .. must be time to dig out some cooler weather recipes to start adding to the menu. My blog has been neglected as of late ... the whole summer was such a whirlwind of time that even updating it once or twice a week was a chore usually put on the back burner. This is not to say that I've had nothing to do ... hardly. Plenty of work is yet to be done in the yard ... and I do watch our grandbaby four partial days each week. But I have come to appreciate calling it quits around 4 PM each day for all outside activity ... including errands. By this time of day, it's nice to come inside and start fixing dinner, watching the evening news for a while, or just sipping tea on the front porch or back patio. Routine is a driving force, and when it's tossed by the wayside, I tend to over pack each day with way too much stuff.

I cannot sit and chat with you,

the way I'd like to do.

So brew yourself a cup of tea,

I'll think of you, you think of me.

unknown

Ode To Summer

AAAAHHH (big sigh) As the summer of '07 winds down, let me take a deep breath and drink in the last of the warm days without the hustle of the previous months' weight upon my shoulders (another big sigh ... aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) I'M A SURVIVOR! (barely)

With the kids heading back to school next week ... and the prospect of routine, routine, boring, lovely, much needed routine, I'm loving the thought. This new season (fall) that is soon to be here is my all time favorite time of the year. Preparing for winter, gathering pantry items, making a nice nest for the family, and tooling around town without worry of everyone's schedules is my driving force to sanity. There is so much to look forward to: warm fires, hot cocoa, leisurely visits with hubby and soldier boy. A good book, baking cookies, scents of pot roast and cold weather food wafting through the house.

Farewell summer
hello fall, my dear old friend!

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!"
Proverbs 6:6 (NIV)

Just for laughs - a recent google search for "something's eating my roses" landed this link to my blog:

1. Whatever Happened To
   
   Take time to smell the roses today ... stop eating deer poop" ... Something's Screwy. April (10) Sunday Dinner At Grandma's. Excuse My Absence ...
   scentedgeranium.blogspot.com - 106k -

The Dog Daze of Summer

1. summer camp
2. pick up hubby from airport on 8/16
3. mow lawn
4. pick veggies and fruit at farm
5. buy a freezer
6. order a quarter of beef or buffalo for freezer
7. whack weeds
8. buy school clothes
9. keep up with daily chores
10. put up window shades
11. fertilize the lawn
12. train dog with new doggy fence
13. laundry, laundry, and more laundry
14. put up some jam
15. wash truck

And you wonder where I've been?