Fiery orange...

It's only August 11th and leaves on some of our Maple Trees are turning color already. That makes me sad. I love summer, oh so much!

When I was a kid, we had a big maple in the backyard that started dropping leaves as early as late July.

I distinctly remember this, as my Dad would make us kids start raking as soon as they started dropping. I hated this. Not only for the blisters I got on my hands between thumb and index finger, but also because it seemed so unfair to have to rake before school got started. Darn it! It was STILL SUMMER!

Kids are already back in school here. And it's still hot and yucky and did I mention it's hot?

I was just remarking to hubby that the leaves on the tree behind our house were already turning red. It's too early!! But the nights have been very cool here for over a week. Our flowers are loving it. Usually most of our perennials will bloom in early summer, than fold up and wither during the normally-hot days of August, then come back when the temps cool down in September. This year it has been so rainy and cool that they're staying alive all summer.

Yonuh, I wish we could send you some of our cooler temperatures. It's a bit too cool here at times. Friends who are avid campers are saying it's the coldest summer in decades.