I'd Say It's Been a Superb September

From day one this month has been delightful. Nary a complaint can be found. The weather can't be beat with nights in the 50's and days hovering between the 70's and 80's. Neither air-conditioner or furnace was needed.

Gardens flourished. My second crop of peas and lettuce planted in August have begun to produce or are blooming. While hiking among the mountains, their exquisite fall outfits made Oscar contenders look cheap. The unmatched beauty of our state and federal parks proved God's embrace in its creation.

Words cannot convey the joy a perfect month brings.

Our Surviving Sunflower of Summer

I love sunflowers and wanted row of toddler sized heads of them bobbing back and forth greeting passers by with their youthful radiance in the yard. In my mind I almost waved to them while planting a package of seeds this spring. Alas, it was not to be. Many grew, but few endured the wild winds, lack of water and competition with hardier plants.

Pictured is the lone survivor standing front and center in the flowerbed. When does that ever happen? Watching and waiting for it's full petaled arrival early one morning had us on pins and needles. Like a child, it opened when it was 'Good and ready'.

Unlike a kid the survivor stood still for it's multiple photo shoot. With the summer season clock ticking to an end we will try, try again, next year.

Nuts about Nine, Ten, Eleven

I am nuts about 9/10/11. On this day BYU and Texas are playing football in Austin, Texas with nearly 100,000 in attendance. The U of U is playing USC in LA. Both lost by close margins. I spent the day pressure washing the exterior of my mother's home, attended a 21st birthday party and wanted to do nine more fun things going on in the valley. Our neighbors son is getting married today on 9/10/11. It's a good day for a blog post, to pay checks and repeat 9/10/11 over and over.

At these ages of 9, 10 and 11 we are in the fourth through six grades. Boys and girls begin to notice and tease one another with childhood crushes. I learned to play chess, four square and Polka dance with Dale Butterfield. Mastering times tables, long division and fractions was required and acheived. Mrs. Fine, Mr. Drew and Mr. Johnson were my teachers those grades.

What a carefree time life is at age nine, ten or eleven. We think life will always stay the same and never change, nor do we want it to. Summers are never long enough and friends become bosom buddies. Sleep overs, bike rides and making cookies rule. What a great time of life.