"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Days Of Late Summer

 I rush in the early mornings to get as much outside work done before the intense heat of the day begins.  It is beginning to be that I only have a short amount of time to accomplish much of anything as I quickly surrender to the sun and to the heat as I make a quick departure for the coolness of inside.  Because of my lack of tolerance , the weeds are starting to overwhelm me and the garden spaces .  It is an ongoing battle for me with weeds and grasshoppers.  One grasshopper can chomp through a stem and devour a stalk of leaves and flower petals with great speed. 

Yet, through all of the high heat, strong hot winds, strangling weeds, and munching pests, 
many of the flowers stand lovely and strong.

For the time that I am outside, I find much joy walking and looking over the beauty of the gardens and what Mother Nature brings my way.
One morning, during one of my battles , I was whacking away and was startled by movement with what I thought was a snake.  Instead , I was amazed to see this 5 line skink catching and gobbling down grasshoppers that were trying to escape my whacking and were hopping right into it's happy grasp. 

 I have often seen skinks here on the grounds, they are usually small and shimmering gray.  This one must have a great hiding place and has been enjoying the bounty of insects. It was incredibly large.
The moonflower this year have done so well and have made a lovely hedge along the front yard. 
These late summer days are perfect for porch sitting. It is so quiet out this way and all one can hear while sitting out, is the call of the mourning dove and a distant howl of of coyote.  It's a great way to spend time and to gather one's thoughts.
After outside and inside chores are finished, I once again turn my attention to my needle. I finished the crochet flower I posted in my last post and these past days I cross stitched a rose design onto a shirt.  
More about this shirt and the rose design on my embroidery blog

Thank you all for your prayers for our state of Texas and the horrific flooding that took place. Although our area was not impacted, we all are saddened by what has happened. 
So tell me, are  you enjoying these late summer days sitting out on  your porch or tending to your gardens?  Are you taking the last trip of summer or are you getting ready for another school year? 
I always love hearing from your corner of the world. 
Here's wishing  you pleasant days as this summer comes to an end.