A perfect late August morning. . . . . . . .

After all the rain, heat and humidity, last night was a lovely night.  

Turning the a/c off, sleeping with the windows open, feeling the temperature

 drop to the mid-fifties, and waking to a breeze. . . . . perfection!

 This morning, walking through the sparkling dewdrop grass in sandals felt good.

I went next door to feed Ms. Nala cat - doing this until Sunday when her person

 returns from vacation. Brushed her well, put her out in the sunroom where she

 happily watches birds and squirrels, and I will return early evening and take

 her in for the night.

I sat here on the front porch from 7:00 - 8:00 AM - watching the birds and

 squirrels active in the fig tree as I enjoyed my coffee - breathing in

real fresh air for a change.

 I found this newly hatched large moth or dragonfly (?) this morning - can anyone

 identify it please. Don't think it's a moth with those transparent wings. It's about 1.5" 

in length. 

Edited: Thanks Donna and Jane - this is of course a cicada,

 I'd forgotten those noisy creatures looked like this!

My hydrangeas were sad this Summer, very few blooms on any of the bushes.

Today I found this one which is usually blue but is now this color, pretty but I prefer blue.

Perhaps the pH of the soil has changed with so much rain - soil needs to be acidic 

with a pH of 5.5 or lower to keep the blooms blue. I may need to treat

the soil with Espona Organic Soil Acidifier which I missed doing this year.

The sunflowers from LIDL are still looking awesome. Today I need to

 change the water and add fresh greenery which will see them

  happily through the weekend.

Here's to a great weekend everyone - hoping you have lovely 

weather at your home.

Monday morning moments. . . . . .

Another frightening electrical storm at midnight brought us to the front door to watch

 a river rushing down the driveway taking some of the back garden with it!  

This summer's storms have been horrendous here, so much rain falling so fast,

 with thunder and lightening only angry gods could dispatch in the night.  

This morning is lovely with bright sunshine, even a wee bit cooler in the early hours.

The doe is back. Spying her under the fig tree, I grabbed the camera and watched her

 head toward my neighbor's tomatoes. I think she looks healthy but still no other 

family members seem to be with her.

Yesterday I shopped at LIDL and added this bunch of sunflowers to my basket. 
Five stems for $3.99, not bad. I liked that they were still somewhat closed. 
Added greenery from the garden, hosta leaves, variegated privet, a sprig
 of ivy - hopefully they will open fully and be pretty for the week ahead as 
I settle back into daily life after traveling.

New Jersey grown sunflowers.

Are you, like me, ready for Autumn?

I just hope it dries up soon - at least the trees should be

colorful this year as they start to change.

Wet and wetter. . . . . . .

Here it is August and North Carolina appears to have a

 new season. . . . . . . . 'The Wet'. 

Don't remember another Summer such as this with so much rain late July into August.

Waking morning after morning to saturated gardens, pools of water, low and

 threatening grey skies, over the top humidity numbers, and not a ray of sunshine, 

is depressing. Certainly not what summertime is usually like here.

Most outdoor activities have been postponed, especially at the coast where

riptides and storms have curtailed beach visits.

 My garden is literally waterlogged!

Last time I was in 'The Wet' - and it was expected at that time of year - was when 

visiting Vietnam. Somehow rainy days were extraordinarily beautiful there, perhaps

 because the radiant colors of the ancient buildings came to life in the rain.

Me in Vietnam - sandals, plastic poncho and a large umbrella - I was set to go!

Hue, Vietnam 2011

Do you like rainy days?