We have a new school in the neighborhood. This Amish school was built in a matter of weeks and finished just in time for the new school year. This location will enable more Amish children to walk to school and depend less on vans and buses.

I discovered a grasshopper resting on the green pepper and went for the camera.  He kept moving around the pepper trying to hide from me.

The wasp was gathering material from the old wooden bluebird box to make his paper nest.

The bees and butterflies love the blue Salvia! The honeybees had pollen on their back legs.  The bumble bees were diving and fighting over the same flower.  Amazing activity was all around me when I paused and took notice.  

Just as I was leaving I saw the larva of a butterfly on the Dill stem.  We must train our eyes to SEE what is all around us.  It requires us to slow down, to pause if only for a minute, and embrace the moment.

       Thistle and Teasel provide winter food for the birds.

Burdock


Did you ever pick burs from your socks after a walk?
These burs influenced the idea of velcro....such an amazing little invention.
Nature is full of little wonders!

Fresh basil adds zest to everything - especially tomatoes. I have several basil plants flourishing in the garden that I have been cutting from all summer.  I found this simple recipe in the local newspaper and thought I'd give it a try. 

After you've had your fill of BLT's and eaten your weight in corn chips and homemade salsa, try this no cook recipe that makes ripe tomatoes taste fantastic. 

No-Cook Tomato Sauce


6 large fresh tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
l/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Chop tomatoes and place in a bowl.  Add garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper Toss gently. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours. The tomatoes get juicier and juicier when they sit.  Toss with pasta, spoon over chicken or ground beef, or simply eat with a spoon.
Serves 6

Years ago, I filled a container with Butterfly Weed and took it to my work place.  When the boss arrived, he asked if I would gather a bouquet for his wife that he could take home and give to her that evening. I relished getting out of the office and being paid to gather flowers.

Every summer I look for the bright orange Butterfly Weed and found it today growing in the middle of a hay field. Although very hardy, it has not had success in my garden.   I mistake it for a weed and yank it out before it has a chance to bloom.

These little butterflies were slowly opening and closing their wings by the roadside.  I began to see them everywhere. There must have been one hundred on the 'White Lace Vine'.

This little guy was making his whirling sounds in the hot sun next to the fence post.

                               Sammy Squirrel was gathering his winter supply of walnuts.

                              Turkey buzzards were drying their wings for flight.

                               Porky pig was making the most of another hot day.  

It is a nice reprieve when the lawns begin to dry and wither making the mowing chores less frequent which is a sign of the Autumn Season to come.  Some counties in southern Pennsylvania have brown lawns from lack of rain. I should not complain about the grass mowing chores as we have been blessed with rain showers.

I like the fact that these mowers are quiet but they are not as easy to operate as you would think.  Even with sharp blades, they take muscle to push!  I am spoiled with a riding mower and power trimmers but then I do not burn as many calories either. 

                         As the grass withers and flowers fade, so is life but for a season. 
                                        

Before heading indoors for the night we gather on the porch watching the daylight fade and the fireflies twinkle over the corn.  If lucky, we may see a falling star. As the evening dew settles on the August Lily it sheds a fragrance that is as sweet as any Easter Lily.  We breath deep and enjoy this summer scent of August.

Although I purchased a book and attended a seminar on wild mushrooms, I do not trust my knowledge to know which mushrooms are edible.  Perhaps someday I will be eating from the forest floor.

Here are some mushrooms I found locally.  It is surprising how many mushrooms are around when one begins to take notice.  

During a morning walk I came across fireweed growing along Front Mountain Road near a patch of golden rod. These are the signs of late Pennsylvania summers. 

Over a three week period the fireweed blooms from the bottom of its stem to the top. Fireweed grows abundantly in northern climates.  I was recently told by travelers to Alaska that the flower brings sadness to the local residents because they know the first snow arrives soon after its last blooms.

The children take joy in getting the daily mail. It is a chore that is given to the very young.  I often see pre-school age children at the mailboxes and think how trusting the parents must be of their children and of the folks that travel through our farming valley.