End of Summer!

 Here we are at Labor Day Weekend, generally considered the end of our summer season. We have been seeing (and feeling) hints of fall for a couple of weeks - so we know on several levels that our summer is about over. The air is crisp most mornings, there is a tinge of color on a few maples here and there, there are mini-showers of leaves falling when the wind picks  up, and television ads are featuring back-to-school and Halloween stuff instead of hiking gear and swim fins. We expect to have some nice fall days ahead, but they will be getting shorter and cooler each week.

I had a lovely note from my friend, Mary, this week. She has had a busy summer and I haven't had many photos from her, but she send some lovely ones the other day and I will share them - another sign of fall is butterflies. They love zinnias!

I've had a few butterflies around my house - they feast on phlox, bee balm, and milkweed. I have quite a bit of "natural" area around the perimeter of my lawn and where there are rocks and ledges that are hard to keep mowed. So they are inclined to hang out there where they have lots of variety. 

I have a late-blooming yellow mini-sunflower or daisy-like plant that grows about four feet high and  attracts butterflies and bees, but that hasn't bloomed yet. I think it's called ox-eye sunflower. And I used to have purple asters in several spots. One large bush was by the back corner of my garage, but it was lost when I had the garage foundation done a couple years ago. There are more clumps in other spots, though - just not near the house. I rather miss it - it was a favorite to grab for a quick bouquet to pair with the yellow ox-eye sunflowers. Now I have some new plants by my porch and they are just beginning to show flowers. I have some sedum and astilbe that are looking good in there, and we'll be filling in with a few more varieties to keep color there from spring to fall.

Tomorrow is the final meeting of the Joe's Pond Association - 10 a.m. at the pavilion. We will have an update on Eurasian watermilfoil and whether the application of herbicide a few weeks ago has done its job. If you plan to come, it could be cool, even with the side curtains on the pavilion, so dress accordingly!

In the afternoon, I'm scheduled to be at the Cabot Historical Society from 1-3 p.m. That is always interesting - we've met a number of new people there this summer. We will continue to be open until mid-October; after that it is too cold in the building and once the temperature gets below freezing, the front door is difficult to open and close. We don't need the security alarm going off!

So we're heading into autumn and preparing for winter. The ground is very dry right now and if we don't get rain soon, I'm afraid it could mean some folks will run short of water this fall or winter. There is a danger of forest fires, too, as the trees begin to shed their leaves. We normally get plenty of rain during late October or early November, and hopefully that will happen this year. I'd rather have it come as rain than later on as snow! We have been lucky not to have the severe weather incidents that most of the country suffered this summer. We've had a fair share of severe weather over the years and we try to be careful what we wish for - not that we're superstitious, but we also know we're not immune to these things! Enjoy the nice weekend as we say "good-bye" to summer!