Tripping Over Typeset

It’s hard to believe summer has come to an end. The last few mornings I have been donning warm fuzzy socks. Brrr… welcome Autumn!

I haven’t done one of these blog posts in a while so I thought I’d jump in here and finish up the summer with some fun!

10 Things I Learned this Summer —

1. After living in our new house for over a year now, I’m still discovering new things.

This summer I found this beautiful flower popping up in my yard. The petals were so soft and papery light I was intrigued to know the plant! Never to fear, just posting a pic on my feed brought quick results. It was a double pink poppy. The flowers don’t last long but they are so whimsical and fun!

2. Dog hair in your flower pots keeps deer from eating your flowers.

I have three stumps on the curve of my driveway where I planted beautiful flowers in great pots. They were just beginning to blossom when a deer decided to snack on them for a special treat. Grrr!!! Again, I took to my friends on my feed and received advice. Some to heed…some to pass over. For instance, even though we live in the middle of nowhere, I am NOT sending my boys out to pee on my flower pots. Nope, not goin’ happen! Dog hair works great and then I’m not grossed out by thoughts of other methods!

3. Freestone vs. Cling

This is completely random but again, something I learned this summer. Those great peaches where you cut them open and the pit just pulls away nicely with the peach still intact and beautiful…. Those are called Freestone peaches because the pit pulls away. Cling peaches are messy and good for salsa and savory sauces because they cling to their pit. (You can thank me now for the nugget of knowledge!)

4. If you can take a vacation with great friends do it! It’s the best!

This summer, we went away with 4 other families and it was so much fun! (I understand the chemistry of friendship has to be mixed correctly to make this successful.) But if you have some great friends that you think this would work with, try it! We rented a lodge with enough space for all and then some. The guys played all day! Swimming, water games, fishing, ball hockey or anything else they could find! The kids played in the water, game room or playground. And the moms… we sat on the dock in the sun, sipping coffee, soaking in the sun and chit-chatting away. Of course we got in some fun shopping, late night card games, times around the fire and ending it all with a firework display for kids and grown-ups alike! I learned that even though time and distance can separate us, getting together with those you love bridges all that. Our kids called it the best vacation ever! Our hubby’s can still play hard despite the soreness of the next morning and girlfriend time brings lots of laughs! Our souls and hearts were lightened by being together again.

The kids enthralled with our own little firework show

5. Rounding out #5 for things I learned — The best part of golf is driving the cart!

For some fun this summer, we took on the family outing idea of a round of 9 holes. This was quite a feat for Dave, who enjoys golfing but now had 5 rookies on the green with him. Needless to say, after 4 ½ hours we finished our 9 holes with a few balls lost in the trees, drink, and who knows where! Good thing we rented carts or we still might be out there!

Notice the ball still there after my swing?… Yep, that’s about it!

6. This solar eclipse thing was awesome.

I wasn’t in the range of totality but I had my glasses on and my afternoon sky was clear. We watched from our back deck with lemonade in hand. At the peak, there was a darkening of the sky, a drop in the temperature, and I loved it! Afterwards, I immediately scoured the internet to find the range of totality for 2024. I learned it’s going to run through about ½ hour from my house! I am so excited and already making plans!

7. Adjustment on the home front –

With kids away at college, my nest is shrinking and I’m learning to adjust in all kinds of crazy ways.
• Grocery shopping and menu planning— Jumping from cooking for 6 down to 4 and sometimes just three is hard.
• Leftovers hang around longer and milk just might expire before being used up!
• We eat meals at the cozy breakfast nook table because eating at the large dining room table just feels too spread out and empty.
• And the quiet ticking of the clock is sometimes deafening!
The up sides…
• Our grocery bill is definitely going to drop.
• It takes 2 ½ days before my dishwasher is full enough for a load.
• I always have a vehicle available now.
• And I’m getting all kinds of writing done now that I’m not juggling multiple schedules of multiple people.

8. Willows smell like cat litter –

Through a freakish windstorm burst, our willow tree out front was damaged. The willow tree is one of our families’ favorite trees so we were quite sad to see a large chunk of it on the ground. It laid in the yard for a few days until we had time to cut it up and haul it off. During one of those nights, I found myself lying in bed smelling cat litter. (Which honestly, I hate that smell!) I said to Dave, “Holy cow, what is that smell?” — “The willow,” he says, “it’s swamp wood!” — Yuck! I still love the tree but boy, it needs some body odor help when it’s cut down and chopped up!

9. Book launches are lots of fun—

This summer, I have been a part of 3 different book launches and I love them. I love being behind the scenes with the authors, reading advanced copies of their books and sharing great reads with my friends! Two of them release today (Sept 1) and the other next month! Don’t miss these great books—- they are all so good!

• Deeper Waters – by Denise J Hughes – release date Sept. 1 – read more about it here.
• Why Motherhood Matters – by September McCarthy – release date Sept 1 (Actually I’m really stoked about this one! I’m heading to her house tonight for a Book Launch party and fun!)
• Church of the Small Things – by Melanie Shankle – Release date October 3rd (more to come about this fun book!)

10. I’m not just learning this but simply reminded that — Summers go by too fast.

The leaves are turning and my apple trees are loaded. Autumn is my favorite season so I welcome it with open arms. Yet I’m sad to see the warm, long days of summer fade. I’m glad I live in a place with 4 seasons. There’s always change, always adjustment and joy to be found in each season… even in the not so favorite seasons we know this soon will be gone and we’ll move onto something new!

Farewell Summer! Bring on the fun boots of fall, cozy jackets and hot cocoa!

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Jump into the conversation and share with us. What have you learned this summer?