How was your summer? Fast? Mine too. Sad about that? Yeah…me too…this was a pretty big summer for us as we welcomed our new baby girl about halfway through it.
Any big plans before it’s time to face the realities of Autumn? My kids have some big ideas…some of which I smile faintly and nod and others (those that involve gas-powered riding toys) strike fear in my heart.
I do want to send the summer out with a bang, though. I need something special and memorable that will help the kids ease from summer to fall.
Need some inspiration for good ways to use August? Since I have a bit of extra time on my hands that I am focusing on family right now, I have been thinking precisely about these things…here are a few ideas I came up with!
- Harvest your garden
- Read a book in a hammock
- Skim stones until you are an expert
- Climb a tree
- Picnic under same tree
- Go swimming–in a lake or pond
- Go fishing
- Take a long stroll
- Gather wild flowers
- Weave wild flowers into a crown or head band
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Lie on your back and watch the clouds
- Sit in the garage during a thunderstorm
- Stargaze on a clear night
- Go camping (even in the back yard)
- Go to a baseball game and cheer like crazy
- Plan a fall garden
- Plan meals using only your garden produce
- Jump on a trampoline
- Make lemonade
- Have a lemonade stand
- Swing high on a swing
- Get up early before the birds wake up and listen to them begin to sing
- Go to a farmer’s market
- Learn how to whistle a blade of grass
I am thoroughly enjoying the beautiful excuse I have to be lazy this summer. Nothing like a brand new baby to slow you down and shift your priorities a bit. Not concerning myself with anything that does not directly impact my family at this point…no room for even wondering what extenze might be…nope…not even curious!
Seeing the summer through the eyes of my children is a blessing I’ve not had in years!
1. Delay dishwashing and laundry until evening on hot days.
2. Keep the house closed tight during the day. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.
3. Ventilate with fans in windows located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Keep interior doors open.
4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels. The standard comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. You can extend the comfort range to 82 F if you instill a breeze of about 1.7 mph.
5. Plant shade trees around the house.
6. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans.
7. Install white window shades. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat by 40-50 percent.
8. Close south and west-facing windows and curtains during the day.
9. Install awnings on south-facing windows.
10. Keep unnecessary lights off.
As I sit in a quiet house, the only thing I hear is the faint hum of the dishwasher and the pitter patter of rain outside my window. Yes…it’s raining…and while it’s tempting to denounce and object to such weather, there are reasons to appreciate a rainy day. For one…the soil needs it. Hard to argue with that one. For another…the little girl in me always remembers the simple rhyme:
April showers bring May flowers
Whenever it rains in April.
With a little research, I learned that the original rhyme was actually:
Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers
And a man named Thomas Tusser penned it in 1557.
The lesson that Mr. Tusser was so eloquently teaching is that even unpleasant things can bring us enjoyable things later. There is also a lesson of patience that many people can learn as well. Some of the most wonderful things only come after waiting patiently. When we endure the gloom of April, it helps us appreciate the beauty of May more fully.
We who live in temperate regions of the world are well acquainted with the wet seasons of the year. If we did not have the moisture that we do in April, the soil would not be ready to host the vegetative growth it must bring forth during the growing season.
So, endure we must! But…no reason to endure in gloom and doom! Brighten up your home during April in anticipation of the spring color that is approaching. Buy some flowers and set a few bouquets about. Finish planning your garden. Learn about a new flower or vegetable you’ve always had your eye on and make plans to include it in your landscape this spring. Use this time when you are stuck indoors to finish up any projects that you will soon not have time for because you are outside digging in the dirt!
Interrupting your daily worries about such things as life insurance leads, phone bills, homework, laundry, work performance, raising kids and staying close to your mate to say:
Happy Spring!
May you enjoy the annual rebirth and rejuvenation that touches us all this time of year. May you regain your focus, center yourself and find your passion as the days lengthen and the earth wakes up refreshed and renewed.
This must be what it is because after yesterday’s energetic post…today I am feeling rather flattened. No, I don’t need anything like depressiontreatment.net…quite the contrary…we have spring colds. UGH…the pain of it all! To have the weather outside so beautiful and the house getting whipped into shape and now half of us are feeling so crummy. Both my dear husband and I are feeling punk and two of the six kids are also down. Looks like our ailing is just in time for the weather to do what it often does in March. Yep…turning cold and blustery with snow moving in this weekend. If THAT stuff doesn’t go away soon I will need some depression treatment!
Have you rolled up your sleeves yet? We have in our family and we are in the midst of a huge overhaul. Similar to acne spot treatment for your face, you might say. In the past week, we have:
- Gutted our three-season porch, wiped down the walls, scrubbed the floor, given everything a good shake and reorganized the furniture in the room. It looks beautiful!
- Moved all the furniture and vacuumed in and under it
- Taken down the drapes and curtains and fluffed them in an air cycle in the dryer
- Cleaned out the pantry and given that a good overhaul
Still to do:
- Clean the garage
- Clean the bedrooms
Maybe I’ll be getting through this winter without an Outer Banks beach rentals vacation yet. Everywhere I look lately, there are signs of spring!
- Mud
- Grass
- Robins
- Longer days
- Asparagus (Juniors!)
- Spring cleaning
- Manure in the air
- Birds chirping
- Kids sleeping better
- Basketballs bouncing
- Washing winter grime from cars
- Putting away the boots
- Finding spring coats
- Crocuses
- MUD – did I say this one already?!?
Have the seed catalogs started arriving yet? No? Well…they should begin to hit your mailboxes fast and furious soon. Seed companies know that we gardeners need something to dream about during the long months of hibernation.
Once you have a sizable stack, it’s time to grab a hot cuppa and snuggle down in a cozy chair to leaf through and dream a little. What better way to get new ideas and cement plans for the garden you will begin in a few short months.
As you page through the beautiful colors and spreads, notice that most catalogs give additional growing information on disease resistance, new and improved hybrids, the length to maturity on vegetable crops and often the proper growing conditions for the plants. When you combine this useful information with your own experience in your own garden, you are in a great place to choose great flowers and vegetables for the upcoming growing season.
Try not to get too carried away and don’t order more than you can plant. Make a wish list and then sit on it for a few days. Go back to it and look at it again realistically to make sure what you plan is doable. You might just try a few new things each year, while sticking with the old favorites that grow well year after year.
It is never too early to start planning your upcoming garden. When you order seeds by mail, ordering early will ensure that you have your seeds when you need them.
Spring will be here before you know it…
