In August

August is a month for continous exploration, sun filled days, summer fun, and nature galore hovering near to nudge us a little, as a constant and gentle reminder that we no longer live in the city.

Nature abounds here, everywhere we turn. Here are a few examples of what I mean;

• We have a continuous hum of crickets lulling us to sleep at night lately.
• The shrill of cicadas, with sounds similar to piercing electrical power units in high trees, a royal nuisance actually.
• The large horned toads found in hiding places here and there and the discovery of how very ugly they are in person!
• Praying mantis and grasshoppers move and bounce around in the grasses, searching for food and a safe haven.
• Hornets love our house, the front door area especially building their nests in the carriage lighting fixtures.
• Large blue herons pop by to search the back creek for crayfish and sit on the "fort tree" branches to munch their dinner.
• Turkey vultures appear every so often in search of a meal as well as bald eagles soaring above.
• Wild bunnies bravely appear, making their way into our yard from the small forest of trees next door to knibble in our clovers.
• Deer footprints appear behind our property on the farmer's land every so often.
• Robins are STILL laying eggs in our trees, every so often we find one dropped or abandoned in the center of the field.
• Northern Cardinals, Scarlet Tanangers, Kinglets, Baltimore & Orchard Orioles, Juncos and Bobolinks still visit our bird feeder daily to greet us lovely hellos with song or chirping.
• Monarch butterflies are visiting continously meandering about in our gardens.
• Large palm sized black beetles loved living under our pallets of bricks. And the worms ! Oh those five inch worms are a Robin's delight, now exposed and also uncovered.

Oh, and the farmers are busy at work, though claiming this is their easy month. Here's a soya bean field below.


While driving about, we are continually in our education mode, learning about life in the country. As we travel, we keep viewing an ever changing landscape of crops growing, being harvested, or just admiring how beautiful they have become since arriving here in winter time.

Haying actually looks nice with these large rolls waiting for transport to the barn

In August

HEAT urges secret odors from the grass.
Blunting the edge of silence, crickets shrill.
Wings veer: inane needles of light, and pass.
Laced pools: the warm wood-shadows ebb and fill.
The wind is casual, loitering to crush
The sun upon his palate, and to draw
Pungence from pine, frank fragrances from brush,
Sucked up through thin grey boughs as through a straw.

Moss-green, fern-green and leaf and meadow-green
Are broken by the bare, bone-colored roads,
Less moved by stirring air than by unseen
Soft-footed ants and meditative toads.
Summer is passing, taking what she brings:
Green scents and sounds, and quick ephemeral wings.

~Babette Deutsch


Most important; Citronella candles at night for mosquitoes