Scattered Seed

With a beautiful, sunny morning, I had all sorts of plans for outdoors. I wanted to do some major weeding. I was going to hang the clothes out to dry. I planned to sit out on the deck and read while George barbecued our dinner, and then we would eat outside.

I made a run to the store for some groceries about lunchtime, and while I was putting things away, I noticed the dark clouds. Soon it was cool and cloudy, a brief rain, and later it became so windy that George rolled up the awning. He did barbecue our dinner, but the other plans were set aside.

Summer surely is fading away. The Canada geese flew over this morning, and when I looked out, I couldn’t see them, but they cast their shadows on the lawn as they passed over the house.

It seemed unusually dark early this evening.   That’s when I noticed another shadow had come across the house and had blanketed the entire neighborhood.

George wanted to drive to Marathon today to take some photos of some old snow plows that he knew were sitting at the side of a country road.
We took jackets, as the morning was cool, but had the top down on the car most of the way. At times the sky looked quite threatening, then the sun would come out. We were hit with a downpour the last bit of our trip, but by dinner time the skies had cleared again and we were able to have our meal out on the deck. A very fickle weather day!

On the way up, we stopped at the Green Star Market for a loaf of the delicious olive bread Morgan introduced us to when she was up.  Filled with kalamata olives,  and with slices of cheese on the side, it makes a delicious lunch.

On the way back, we stopped at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. It was a busy place even an hour before closing time.

We picked up some folk art postcards for our postcrossing project, and that was about it.

There was a lot of good produce, but we still have much to go through here with only the two of us again.

I was at work this morning when George called. He had been to the doctor for a follow-up, and was being sent to the lab for blood work and a doppler of his leg. His doctor was concerned that he might have a blood clot since his foot and ankle remain quite red, swollen, and tender to the touch. Having a pulmonary embolism in his medical history, they were ready to send him to the hospital if anything showed up. Fortunately all was clear, and we breathed a sigh of relief! He’s now taking a second round of antibiotics and returns to the doctor next week….

A week ago we set up camp, just George and I.

George had just enough time to start a campfire that evening, then off to the bus station to pick up Morgan. She made the five-hour trip from the city to spend the week with us.

It was fun to have her company, and there was more than enough room for her air mattress in our oversized tent!

Tuesday evening was our scheduled departure from camp so that Morgan and Albert could take over.

What was unscheduled though, was a trip to the ER for George, where he was given an IV antibiotic for cellulitis, possibly due to a spider bite. His leg was swollen, bright red, and painful when he got up that morning. Crutches were part of his discharge, but he tucked those away after a couple of days.

Our week was a series of trips to and from camp, Ithaca, and Seneca Falls as we celebrated my birthday and our 37th anniversary.

A visit to the Lab of Ornithology was part of the agenda, though we skipped the trail walk to keep George off his feet.

Yesterday we drove up to Taughannock early to help break camp. With four of us working together, things were packed up in good time, and we were all on our way….

…and home just in time for four of us to shower and dress for a wedding on little Cayuta Lake. The bride was a neighbor and close friend of Morgan’s as they were growing up.

Tonight the house is quiet. All the suitcases and bags that were everywhere last night, are tucked into the baggage compartment of a city-bound bus. Morgan and Albert are on their way home.

It was a very nice week….fun and relaxing for me.

Now to give George some R & R, and to get that leg healed!

My vacation started today, and none too soon. I was ready to leave work behind yesterday for some much needed rest and relaxation. I’m ready to put my feet up, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, watch for some birds, and read a good book.

Tomorrow we go camping, so today was all preparation. I did the cleaning and laundry while George packed up the car. In the morning we’ll go for the groceries to pack the cooler, drop Martha at the kennel, and head out by mid-afternoon.

It will be good to get away to the woods, as the heat of summer finally arrived. We never did set up the air conditioners this year as it was so cool for so long. With the shades lowered and the fan running, we’ve managed to keep the house somewhat cool. But I’ll gladly trade in the fan for some cool night air filtering through our tent screens.

To jump-start our vacation, we went out for some ice cream and a drive in the country this evening.

The cats will fend for themselves while we’re gone. They do quite well with the feeder and water dish filled, and unlimited choices of places to curl up for a nap.

We’ll be home before they miss us.

About three weeks ago, I came across an article about Postcrossing. I, being someone who loves real mail, stamps, and postcards, just had to sign up. I was intrigued by the set-up of the system, and fascinated by the idea of connecting with people around the world. Not to mention, real mail in my mailbox!

So I signed up, mailed my first five postcards (to Finland, Russia, Germany, Poland,and one here in the US), and the cycle was set in motion.
While I was waiting for my cards to be received (and registered), George became intrigued with the idea (and the chance to request some transportation-themed cards) and decided to sign up too. He sent out five cards, and wouldn’t you know, one of his was registered before any of mine. As my cards are beginning to arrive at their destinations, here comes the first incoming card in our mailbox (from the Netherlands)….to George.

So he wins there, but I have three cards due to arrive with my name on them….so I’ll just be patient. The interesting part is not knowing who or where they will come from.

Rain this morning gave way to heat, haze, and humidity…..which gave way to thunderstorms. As evening settles in, the skies have cleared and it’s a pleasant evening, finally!

I got out into the yard after things cleared to see what was picture-worthy for my summer documentation….

a cherry tomato ripening

the acorn squash getting bigger

a little cucumber coming along

sunflowers growing around the yard thanks to bird droppings…..

Looking ahead to our vacation next week, we started gathering the camping gear. We were able to round up most of what we needed right here at home, but we made a trip out to Target to buy a new lantern for using inside the tent. It even came with a head lamp!

I can’t show a picture of the lantern itself, as George has already been busy packing.

I don’t ever remember a summer like this one. It’s been unseasonably cool….the sky has the look of autumn already. We’ve had our dinners out on the deck, but some evenings it’s almost chilly, and I come back inside. My little garden seems to be struggling along. I wonder if things will ever ripen with our evenings dipping down to the 40’s.

Time, itself, seems swallowed up this summer, with overtime most evenings at work, and weekends playing catch-up. How can it be just a few weeks till school starts already?

I decided to dedicated my photography in the next few weeks to capturing what is left of summer before it totally escapes me.
Here are some shots to remember, from July…..

It was a foggy morning with a heavy dew, as you can see by this spider web dangling from the hummingbird feeder.

The squirrels are first at the feeders anymore, so I have cut back on the amount of seed I put out. Four squirrels with hearty appetites are eating me out of house and home.

George put the awning back up and we had our dinner at the picnic table. The awning has been up, then down, then up again, as storms move through just about every other day.

I spent some time out back reading and Martha joined me for a good stretch out on the deck.

It’s a favorite place to be on a summer afternoon.