summertime

what a lovely summer it has been. yours too? schools around boulder began today and a hint of cool arrived last night to mark the beginning of the end of it all. tomorrow, gabi and i load up the car to take her back to utah for her fall semester as a sophomore at byu. it's been wonderful having her home these six weeks! she's full of fun, she's full of good ideas - like visiting the boulder county fair and walking pearl street with ice cream cone in hand - and she's got friends visiting all the time. but she's also worked 4 jobs simultaneously including nannying, social media intern for braid workshop and as a receptionist for roots hair salon in boulder. one perk for working at roots was that she decided to cut her hair. (now sebastian officially has the longest hair in the fam) gabi is loving the chop and she looks adorable! kourtney kardashian-like. (wink)

the garden has been at the forefront these weeks with everything growing and flowering and ripening. we've got exciting things happening in the pumpkin patch with already basketball-sized prizes and its only the middle of august. i'm excited to see how big these gourds are by the time its halloween. we like to try growing something new each year so this season we're experimenting with yellow onions and pumpkins. so far, so good except the rabbits. as they've helped themselves munching on my swiss chard and lettuce in the beds (they don't like arugula), they've trampled on my onions. hmmmm, don't like them. but oh, our grapes! one hundred bunches ripening! i'm watching them closely because i know the squirrels are watching them closely. they're mine! and our corn too. it's nearly ready and i have paul, my grain trader and corn expert monitoring their growth because timing is everything and the raccoons know it as well.

did you see my deep purple bush beans? they are gorgeous. i steamed some for dinner the other night and after first turning an even more vibrant purple they slowly faded to the familiar green. i'm having to get creative with the ever bounteous zucchini and used a mandolin to slice them into thin noodles for this zucchini lasagna. it tasted awesome! margo gave paul a mason beehive and after hanging it up following the correct specifications at the beginning of the summer we are finally seeing some action. not bees, mind you, but a wasp has claimed it and is happily gathering grasses and filling the rooms to move right in. interesting.

well, enjoy these closing weeks of this summer season and if school is happening for you, make it a fulfilling and rich year, taking advantage of the opportunities that abound. all the best!

The cure for anything is

saltwater;

sweat, tears 

or the sea.

                                          - Isak Dinesen