Summer is flying by, which is fine with me. With its normal heat and humidity, it is my least favorite season. The days after daughter Lise went home were filled with walking and gardening. The shrubs at the front of the house were given a haircut, and the ground cover beside the garage was cut back. I finished the eight sides of the evergreen growth at the back and cleared out a periwinkle bed choked with weeds. I have one more bed to go. My goal is to have everything under control before daughter Kate comes for a week. Having complained about summer heat, I must say that it hasn’t been bad the past few weeks. Right now the nights are cool, and sunrise is held in check by thick fog. I can walk half a mile and get home before the sun shines on the weedy places. I have breakfast after gardening, usually before noon.

As I was walking, I told myself to keep my eyes sharp. Joyce is no longer here to point out wild turkeys near the woods and inch worms hanging in my path. With that, I spotted two deer near the blueberry bushes. I immediately stopped still and stared at them. They stared back for what seemed like a long time. As soon as my hand inched toward the phone, they flicked up their white tails and ran up the steep hill into the woods. A photo might last longer, but my memory is still bringing them into focus.

The sun was shining in full force as I ate breakfast on the porch. After making a quick cup of coffee, I went back outside to see buckets of rain pouring down. That evidently stopped the farmer neighbor and his helper from tapping all the fence posts that divide our property. A short while later, they were back. It’s always a good thing when his cows and horses can’t escape their pasture.

School starts in four days, marking the end of summer for children in this county. I can’t claim autumn yet, but that’s where my thoughts are.