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goodbye to another summer

September 12, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner 10 Comments

Goodbye to Summer

As the shadows grow longer, we prepare to say goodbye to another summer. I’m already mourning the things I’ll miss. Okay, maybe mourn is too solemn a word since fall really is my favorite. But summer brings moments and flavors and aromas that only come during the hottest time of year. And those, I will miss with the ache of a lost object.

Like WATERMELON.

A wedge satiates me like no other fruit, takes me back to birthdays spent at the lake, summers in the back yard at the home place. Each thump of a plump melon comes with the possibility that yes, this one will be the best ever, vine-ripened in some picturesque Arkansas field of dreams, loaded into the back of an old pick-up, driven to a farmer’s market on the edge of the town square before making it’s way into my belly.

This year’s watermelons tasted as sweet as they should.

And TOMATOES.

Tomato

Those washed-out, baseball-firm tomatoes trucked up from Mexico during November and arranged on grocery shelves like Gala apples are a pathetic substitution for flavorful, June heirlooms.

HUMMINGBIRDS.

Hummingbird

Photo by Andrea Reiman | Unsplash

In our backyard, 2018 has been the year of hummingbirds. I will miss watching these amazing creatures flit about our backyard. We’ve gone through at least ten pounds of sugar keeping them fed this spring and summer. Believe it or not, making a pot of sugar water, cleaning, and refilling our three feeders has become a relaxing part of my summer routine.

Our VIEW.

my backyard

When roses bloom and trees and shrubs grow lush, the view beyond my kitchen window is pretty stunning. Once winter comes and the world lays bare, I have to look more closely for inspiration.

SUNSHINE.

Yes, as the days grow shorter and our daily allotment of sunshine shrinks, we’ll feel it in our bones and spirit. Too bad we can’t bottle a few golden rays and save a Mason jar-full for a cold winter night.

CONEFLOWERS and BLACK-EYED SUSANS.

Farewell to the flowers and bees they attract. The yard will be lonely without them. Yes, mums help fill the void. Soon, holiday twinkle lights will provide joy. But still…

Coneflowers

BUTTERFLIES.

They will be here a while longer but soon the monarchs will journey South, the milkweed will die back, and all will seem quiet.

Monarch in my garden

With ten days until fall, there’s still time to squeeze in a bit more summer.

What will you miss most about summer?

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]What will you miss most about summer? #10DaysTilFall #nature[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:
Oh Wonder – Technicolour Beat

Filed Under: Nature & Seasons, Simple Pleasures Tagged With: end of summer, waiting for fall

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Comments

  1. Barbara Tate says

    September 12, 2018 at 11:29 am

    Your pictures are especially pretty today. I shall still wear white.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      September 15, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks! Me, too. We can wear whatever we want.

      Reply
  2. Cathyv says

    September 12, 2018 at 11:35 am

    I will miss the fresh food from the Farmers market and all the amazing flowers

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      September 15, 2018 at 1:49 pm

      Me too, Cathy! Thankfully we have Ozark Natural Foods and the market next door to it.

      Reply
  3. Colene says

    September 12, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    I will miss your summer photos and hearing all about the birds and bees and butterflies in your yard. Of course I know you will find an enjoyable substitute. I’m already missing the longer daylight hours. We can’t walk at 6:00 a.m. now and soon even 6:45 will still be too dark.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      September 15, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      The darkness seems to happen so quickly doesn’t it?

      Reply
  4. Sharon Collins says

    September 12, 2018 at 8:14 pm

    I miss the fresh garden veggies, especially the maters and okra. Who else loves okra? My granny’s country kitchen produced the most amazing meals.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      September 15, 2018 at 1:51 pm

      I love love love okra. In fact, I’m cooking some today!

      Reply
  5. Cousin Ken says

    September 13, 2018 at 12:16 am

    I’ve grown a garden this year, not nearly as big as my dad used to grow, but the largest I have grown. I had squash, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, okra, and tomato’s. If anyone needs any Jalapeño peppers I have about 50 in my refrigerator, and probably 150 still on the vine. My wife and I began canning the peppers, and pickling the squash. Neither of us had ever canned anything before though I remember my mother with hundreds of canned jars and 2 freezers of packaged vegetables. I have really had fun doing this and learning about some things my parents did that I took for granted.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      September 15, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      I love this Ken! I would love to can but I’ve never done it either.

      Reply

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Talya Tate Boerner


Hi! I'm Talya. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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