Books, Flowers, summer

Another Saturday in the Park

67 Comments

August, buzzing August. During the day, there is the high-pitched whir of the grasshoppers. At night, a chorus of crickets. (I know. I keep going on about crickets and grasshoppers. But I love their songs so much. ) The days have been hot but not humid, and the nights are pleasantly cool.

Last week we got a whole inch of blessed rain, not a downpour that beat down the garden but instead nice and steady. More rain is expected today, and again it will be most welcome.

What is it about raindrops on flowers?

Speaking of flowers…the August flowers and vegetables continue to thrive.

Coleuses, moved from the front porch so that Clif can work on the window, peek through the rail from the driveway.

The black-eyed Susans continue to brighten the late summer garden.

In the back garden, there are plenty of ripe tomatoes to have some every day for my lunch. Soon, perhaps, there will be enough to make a sauce. The variety I plant is Juliette, one of the few tomatoes that thrive in my part sun, part shade backyard. However, I love this sweet, sturdy mini-roma tomato so much that I would plant them even if I had a sunny yard.

On Saturday, a hot but dry day, we met friends in Augusta’s small but lovely Capitol Park for pizza and a chat. We are still being cautious about get togethers, and we like to meet outdoors.

Here is a longer view.

Finally, a treat of a package came last week—The Necromancer’s Daughter, a new fantasy novel by my blogging friend D. Wallace Peach. Wonderful cover, and I’m certainly looking forward to reading the book.

 

67 thoughts on “Another Saturday in the Park”

  1. I so enjoy the photos of your flowers. YES! to raindrops on petals and leaves. The white vinca (impatiens?) prove your point! I love the idea of an outing on the August capitol grounds. The grounds are so pretty, as are those coleuses. And thank you for telling us about your blogger-friend’s book!

      2. I think we got a similar amount last night. Haven’t been out yet to check the rain gauge. Not as much as we might like, but certainly better than nothing.

  3. Thank you so much for the shout-out for the book, Laurie. That was wonderfully kind of you. And I’m in awe of your garden, always. Thanks for the tip on the Juliette tomatoes. I have the same shade challenge here, as well as a short season. But I love garden-grown tomatoes! Enjoy the beautiful end of summer days. ❤ ❤

      1. I’ve been trying to grow tomatoes every year since I moved here with very little luck. I’ve give these a try. 🙂 And I picked up Library Lost as a thank you, Laurie. I hope to read it very soon. ❤

  8. Another uplifting post from you! Beautiful flowers and news of rain … we have had some light rain too and so I am rejoicing with you!

  10. It will be wonderful to have those photos to remember the riches of the garden when the snow is flying.

  13. While we may periodically complain about the weather, it appears your beautiful flowers and garden love the conditions this year and look fabulous!! Looks like it was a fun and lovely day at the park and wonder when we’ll ever return to dining indoors.🙂

    1. My flowers have loved this weather. Of course, I dutifully water the ones in containers. As for dining indoors…many people are, but we continue to remain cautious.

  14. Your posts are so enjoyable. I can vicariously experience a part of the country far from where I live. We got rain today, and not the flooding that Dallas got, just nice steady rain. What a blessing! (We are many miles south of Dallas, closer to San Antonio.)

  15. From the opening title, I instantly had Chicago’s ‘Saturday in the Park’ running through my head. Yup, it’s still playing there. Nice earworm though! BTW – beautiful raindrops on your garden!

  18. I’m with you – outdoor eating is best right now, although I know we are in the minority. Enjoy those tomatoes and the rain. I said so long to my tomato plants about a week ago, and now we’re finally getting some rain we also have an outdoor construction project going on that is negatively impacted by the rain. One must never lose their sense of humor.

    1. We are in the minority. Not sure when I’ll be ready to head into a crowded restaurant. Or a crowded anything. At least not without a mask. Not sure when I’ll be ready. Well doesn’t it just figure that your outdoor construction project would coincide with the rain. Hope you get enough dry weather to carry on!

  19. Your Susans are looking lovely! Although I didn’t plant them, I have two batches of them growing happily in the yard (and Monkey doesn’t seem to bother them). Love that you’re still being careful and gathering outdoors — on days this nice, who can resist?!? Congrats to your author-friend!

  20. Beautiful garden photos, Laurie – and that book cover from D. Wallace Peach is gorgeous!

    I am with you about trying to keep meetings outdoors. And it’s a good thing. On Aug. 12th we had a few people over for an outdoor dinner and a Perseid meteor shower watch. 4 days later, we were notified that someone tested positive. Everyone is fine, but, that might not have been the case had we all been inside much of the night. xo

    1. Thanks, Jodie. Phew, that was a close call with having friends over. I expect if the dinner had been inside, then you probably would have caught COVID. Damned virus! Not sure when we’re going to ease up on the precautions. Not ready yet.

  21. I’m running late with my reply to comments this week but I enjoyed seeing your lovely flowers. Coleuses are just so colourful, and seem to survive in hot and cold climates. And the black-eyed Susan always remind me of Jason’s blog. We try to spend time outdoor with friends just as you are doing, and getting a pizza on the way is just the best thing! Hope your editing is going well….do you have another book to go?

    1. Thanks so much! The coleuses die as soon as the first hard frost hits them, usually sometime in October. For now, meeting outside with friends seems to be the thing to do. At least for us. The editing is going well. This book—“Of Time and Magic”—is the last book in what I call the Maya quartet, where Maya must help take back the Great Library, which has fallen into evil hands. However, my next book is already in mind, and will be set in Maine. More realistic, but I will still throw in a little folderol. Just for fun. Thanks for asking.

      1. Lovely to have a book nearly finished and another idea ready to go, wonderful. We are “an ideas and stories” family too.

  22. I confess it’s hard for me to believe that people still are so nervous about Covid. I rarely think about it now, unless someone mentions it, as you did here. When I went to my eye doctor last week, masks were entirely optional for both patients and staff, except (quite reasonably) in surgical areas. Even the physicians and technicians were unmasked unless a patient requested that they wear one; in that situation, of course they would comply. I suppose all that’s a way of saying life here has returned to normal, and for that we’re all glad. I hope you can relax into ‘normal’ sooner rather than later!

    I’d be even gladder if I had some of those tomatoes! They look wonderful. Our tomato season is well over now; at least, until the fall gardens come in. We’re getting rain now, and it’s wonderful to see the flowers and trees freshening up.

    I’m with you on the grasshoppers and crickets, by the way. We don’t have so many of those, but we have locusts, and their sound is one of my favorite ‘summer sounds.’

    1. My daughter’s co-worker, aged 43, just died of COVID. No obvious pre-existing conditions. He left behind a one-year-old child. Not ready to relax yet. I hope all those who have relaxed stay well.

  24. Your tomato plants look divine – nice work! And those flowers? Wonderful. Our black eyed susans have all passed and I was sad to see them go.

    I hope the pizza was delicious. What a fun visit!

    1. Always sad when the black-eyed Susans pass. You are just that much ahead of us. The pizza was very good, and we have plans to get together again soon in that sweet little park.

  25. Your garden’s looking great, despite the challenging weather you’ve had to endure this summer.
    Don’t you think home-grown tomatoes taste so much better than any that you buy from your local store…definitely worth the effort!

    1. Many thanks! Yes, it is divine to be able to pluck a tomato from my little garden and then ten minutes later slice it and add it to a wrap. So very good!

  26. I’m so envious of your tomatoes! I don’t have enough sunlight in my backyard due to my neighbor’s trees and besides that the deer, groundhogs, rabbits and other animals around here would probably make a meal of them like they do my hostas.

    Is Maine experiencing a drought? I heard that Rhode Island is. If so, here’s to more rain for you!

    1. Those tomatoes are a delight! Sorry your backyard is so shady. Yes, Maine is experiencing a drought. Rain is very much needed. In some parts of the state, wells have gone dry.

Comments are closed.