Late Summer Notes and Nature Journals.

 

Hi everyone! It's a hot, trying to be sunny afternoon here, even though IG is trying to tempt me with ads for yummy Autumn teas. [link at end of post] I'm making a pork tenderloin and despite the open breezy windows the house does smell so good and garlicky. I'm in the process of using up/ restocking my ''pantry'' and freezer for hurricane and blizzard seasons to come. Ordered from Amazon earlier--potty pads for Mo, my supplements and pain pills, big box items---Covid and H Sandy have taught me to stay prepared, but it is also essential to rotate through the stockpiled supplies, use and replace. One package in the freezer was from 2022!

Mo is out enjoying the day, he is not cuddly but he situates himself as close to me as he can, here he is just under my chair. Toes and tail always in precarious spots, ouch.

The days are too nice to be indoors. I make a tin tray of my nature drawing supplies and lug it all out to the deck about once a week.

We are seeing many flocks of birds. Often birds congregate and form large groups in the early Fall, even if they don't migrate, or don't leave til November.. For food and safety in numbers. And migratory monarch butterflies and dragonflies are swarming, making the zinnies a busy place. [pic is geese but many small birds were here this week.]

The gathering bowl, with old and new items to draw perhaps.

Perpetual Journal:

Here is my little companion, Mr Sparrow, who has visited daily all spring and summer. 

google pic

In mid-August he began bringing his mate, a plainer, pretty female, soft taupe in color. Then the whole family arrived!

I didn't dare draw him right in my book, I cheated and used a larger more easy watercolor pad instead. [even the best journalers on IG paste in redos, it's ok.]

The lovely white Cabbage Butterflies, dancing in spirals. Had to include the spirals.

google image

Wild strawberries along the weathered grey fences.

Rosehip stars, before the berries form. Deadhead these to get a second flowering.

 The pretty asters on the marsh verge.

A handful of cockle shells. Until I drew this I didn't know ''cockles" was the actual name of this bivalve, I thought it was a colloquialism. But they are not rustic scallops, they are a real thing. "Silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids...''

The shells are my fave drawing of this batch. Bellow is the worst fail, need to rethink it. I left it here so you can see my struggles, lol.

This is a peony seed pod. My friend said they can't be cut off, they somehow feed the tubers for next year[???] so I may try to get better pics to draw it.

Scribble Journal

Try-out Sparrow and random words jotted down. On the Scribble Journal everything can go. Hint of unintended poetry? And "Fatal Socks"? A book title to remember on my kindle. [''Secrets", not socks. Awful, about the fashion industry, totally not rooted in reality and NYC is nothing like it is portrayed here. I hope it was a freebie.]

In another notebook, some mournful quotes. To be read at my seaglass and me dispersal, far in the future, I hope.

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Sandcastle days...the early September beach days before school begins. I was always so sad to see my children go back to school, trying desperately to show phony enthusiasm instead. I had been a shy bored student myself, loathed every moment in actual school. I'm sure I learned more in summers with games, pets, books, crafts, sewing,  swimming and biking; nature hikes with my mom--these were the golden days! 

We always had a book to read together after lunch, during my mom's idea of quiet time. I vividly remember the summer after third grade: we read Little Women on the back patio, next to the green iron fence full of sweet pink roses. After a week or so I got impatient---she'd only read me one chapter per day! So I read the book on my own. I think we started the Little House on the Prairie series next, and also read Anne Lindberg's A Gift from the Sea. [so inappropriate, mom loved the title], and Rumer Godden's Greengage Summer. My mom collected used vintage hardcover books---she  had Nancy Drews and Boxcar Kids, so retro, I adored them. We also had art lessons and cooking lessons, I loved both. You can see why school and all those rules was a let down.

Now a mom myself, with iPad type screen kids, we instead focused on the beach. We beachcombed tiny flags and pennants for our castles.

Paper collage including a sandpaper sandcastle given to me as a gift.

Have a great weekend and week ahead!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

The delicious Fall Teas are click here

It's Still August ~ Miscellany

 

Happy Labor Day weekend! I know I go on and on about summer, but this has been such a loooong August, hasn't it. Rounding out the month, mid-summer here, random pics from my camera.

I love asters, such an iconic weed/ wildflower. As a nature loving child, I knew that when they appear on the country roads verges, school would be starting soon. [ugh!]

I also love that Trader Joe's stocks weeds and wildflowers, though of course grown for the florist market. I came home last week with two big bunches.

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Hydrangeas have been pretty. 

These were again picked up on the sidewalk after wind storms. Most of the flower heads now are dusty pink, the glorious blue long faded.

Speaking of glorious blue, this morning on my solo walk I saw the first blue morning glories of Autumn. That blue is  the very best, isn't it.

Deck flowers are a disappointment [as previously noted]. I have had a few small posies for the little jars and bottles collection. The candle in the tin is Trader Joe's Peach Black Tea, and smalls divine for 4.99. The tiny yellowware bowl are always a fun find, so cute. Maybe one cup volume, always much used.

The marigolds are tiny in stature but they are blooming. They do look like the seed pack. The nasturtiums hate the salt wind and quickly die off, though I admit at least they tried, grew and bloomed.

So many things did not even sprout. No strawflowers, Mel! No Cape daisies, Penny!---but that can be another post.

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We haven't had many thunderstorms, maybe two?--just some heat lightning now and then and only two very pastel rainbows. We did have these unusual beautiful clouds one evening.

These barrel roll clouds are huge and amazing. They are many miles in length and last for hours. I don't know what causes they, there was no storm, no weather front.

Speaking of evening, so sad, sunset is noticeably earlier now, around 7.45. Very dark by 815. Much as I try to enjoy each season [except icky Spring] but the early darkness that comes with Fall is difficult.

When Mo is not lying hopefully  beneath an air conditioner, he has found this cool spot in the bedroom doorway. There's a good breezy ceiling fan in the hall there. The contractor who worked here in the spring gave it new bulbs and a tune up.

The sun has come out! I am off to a BBQ. It got chilly here, which is nice but what to wear.? I have had the cutest going out outfit set out hopefully all summer, but no, too cold: linen shorts, ivory and taupe faded ---very faded, on purpose---tropical print; creamy boho gauze shirt w discreet embroidery, to wear with a black tank top.  Tan Topsider-y slides. Stacks of summer bracelets. But---brrr---that 25 mph wind. Maybe capris and a sailor striped long sleeve tee instead? 

Happy holiday weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...