Cycles of the Seasons

It's HOT!  and HUMID! and HAZY!  It's 90 degrees outside and 81 degrees inside. So, I've been taking advantage of the morning coolness to get needed weeding done outside, and then do the rest of the day with canning tomatoes, finishing up the very last of the pickles, and hiding out in the cave-like atmosphere of this well-insulated house that MM built from scratch.   

The thunderstorm was spectacular in some areas close to us, but the fireworks didn't really reach us.  We had a guest in the middle of it, though. 

The rain couldn't be called a "Frog Strangler" but Toad decided he'd had enough of the deluge coming off the roof and took shelter in front of our kitchen door.  He's about 4 inches tall and when I shone the flashlight on him, he sat up straighter and spoke to me in a little squeak.  He stayed until the storm had subsided and then left presumably for better hunting elsewhere.

The days seem to fly by now, and I am poised for appreciating fall---soon!  MM mentioned this morning as we sat drinking our coffee, that it's time to think about spending one day a week hauling in firewood starting next week.  Things are movin' onward.  Carrots need digging and canning; the okra's in full harvest; there's another batch of beets out there--at least!  All the dried beans are "making" beans in the pods; the corn is next on the list; the winter squash has a huge crop this year...and the cycle goes on.