STILL AUGUST . . .

One year ago I wrote a blog post called "Say Something Nice About August" and I actually came up with some nice things that occur in August--birthdays, local events, summertime doings.

This year--I'm having a hard time thinking of new things to say about August that suggest it's still a good month. But I'll give it a go. Ready?

#1 - It's hot. Danged hot. I can't make a blessing out of that no matter which way I turn it, twist it, torture it, or just plain ignore it. This year August in my neck of the woods--and in LOTS of other places, I've read in the news--is hot as my grandma's griddle. I guess the "good" thing is--it isn't hotter!

#2 - Air conditioner is still doing its cooling thing. Couple of months ago I had to have the unit serviced because it had a bad habit of hesitating before it got going. The service man replaced an essential part, and it finally quit clearing its throat. Now it's doing that again. So tomorrow, when you're reading this with your morning juice and toast (or espresso and bagel), I'll be on the blower to the A/C folks. And if they can't get here quickly, you'll hear a lot of prayers going up.

#3 - Had a dental cleaning appointment. No new problems, just an old one that I trust will solve itself one of these days. Noticed costs of the various services had gone up--definitely not a good thing--but I'm trying to focus on the lack of follow-up appointments to fix something.

#4 - Got some new books . . . ordered them from my favorite online used book store, and these were brand-spanking-new. One is a book on the craft of writing, by Ursula K. LeGuin, called Steering the Craft; the other is Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simard, a scientist who studies trees. Two other books are on order, soon to arrive: The Cave Painters and Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Four new-to-me books are a really good thing to say about August.

#5 - In a little over a week I'll start an art workshop--one week long, free, and offered online; some parts are streamed live, and others are videos sent via email. It's been a long time since I took a class in anything; looking forward to this one a lot.

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I suppose I should also mention that the lawn isn't growing as much, given the extra heat and lack of rain. But we mow the grass a little higher than other folks, so it stays pretty green in August. (I say "we" but you know I don't mow--I just paid for the mower and enjoy the view. My daughter does the actual work.)

Also, flowers and our garden plants are thriving. We now have a few ripe roma tomatoes and a bumper crop of nice basil. And the resurrection lilies that I was concerned about recently have finally managed to show three tall stems with lovely pink blooms on top. 

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I hope you found something nice to say about August. If you're still scratching your head trying to think of something, just remember--next week is the very end of August, and you'll be into September before you know it. 

Til next time, blessings from

Thursday's Child