Second Sunday, Second Sunday. . . .

I don't have a problem taking a picture out my backdoor, I just have a problem taking time to post them. Thus I am doing two months in one. I admire those who do it daily, weekly or monthly. Blogging just isn't one of my finer qualities.
The second Sunday in August we had a brief but forceful rainstorm and I just happened to catch it. It's times like this I wish I had a really nice camera. The branches are right next to the house so staying dry was easy. We haven't had a lot of rain since the first of July, this is typical for our area.
Lots of sunshine helped the garden to grow. We have enjoyed strawberries, raspberries, peas, potatoes, onions, summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, corn, peppers, tomatillos, and of course zucchini. Some meals are determined by what's ripe that day. Love those meals. This has also meant doing a little canning. I don't necessarily love the work, but totally love the sound of bottles sealing and looking at the newly bottled food lined up on the shelf. So rewarding.
The flowers have done their share of blooming. Just once I will catch the perfect shot.

We were even lucky to have a butterfly stop by for a visit. One of those better camera wishful moments for sure, especially since butterflies are not great about posing.

We gave a few train rides. One of the riders found the apple trees, which are a long ways from being ripe. He tried them out anyway. This is his pucker up and eat a green apple look which was as cute as his 'feel my muscles' pose. Luckily the season for train rides is slowing down. Only one or two more rides to give.

One of the perks of living where we do is the sunsets. There is usually enough dust and clouds in the air for mother nature to be very creative. This one night the sky was particularly yellowish with a rainbow trying make itself known. Spectacular for sure.

Amongst all the happy positives, we must throw in a little sadness as we said good-bye to Patches. She ran across the road at the wrong time. She will be missed. Her personality was so fun as she picked on the dog, took naps in the window sill, followed us around in the yard as she practiced her stalking technique, brought us in live mice and birds for presents, and begged to be held like a baby and petted. Ten months is just to0 short of a life. We buried her by the train, close to where we found her as a kitten one bitter winter night.

Then rolls in September with football. Some days we will have 2 different flag football games and a regular grid kid game going on in the field behind the house. If it happens to be night then we can work late in the yard by the light of the fields. This is my favorite sport for them to play out there. The parents and fans really get involved.

If you look closely you will notice some definite yellow, fall in only a week away so it is inevitable that they trees should start turning. This particular tree is the last to bloom and the first to shed. Next month the picture will show it bare. :(

As for the rest of my goals in life, I have over 30 books checked off. Did a lot of reading this summer. One series in particular, "the immortal Nicholas Flamel" by Michael Scott caught my interest. I shared it with Patrick and we devoured them. I have also been reading the "Alcatraz" series by Brandon Sanderson. He has a great interpretation of librarians. A lot of what I read is designed for jr and sr high school students. I need to be able to recommend or at least know what they are looking for in a book.

As for my indexing, sadly it is getting behind. All the easy stuff is done, requiring me to work on the more challenging stuff, which obviously takes longer. I have about 1625 names to do to meet my goal of 5000.

I am enrolled in two more classes up to BYU-I. I hope I can keep up, so far I am doing okay, but time will tell. One of them happens to be New Testament II. This is what I am teaching in SS. so hopefully this will help me be a better teacher, if I more fully understand what I am teaching.
High school is going strong. It is always fun to see what kind of adventures we will have with the incoming sophomores. They have new rules to learn. It's amazing the change they make when they realize we expect them to be responsible and act more grown up. Sadly I am already looking forward to my next break. I like sleeping in.

Each day is a new adventure.