Late August Update + First Sunflowers!

Hard to believe the end of the traditional summer is almost here. In our area, the public schools start Wednesday and the school buses will be back on the road. I get a bittersweet feeling about that time of year - and I need to go out and buy me some pencils and notebooks even though I have many floating around the house and studio. 

Julia and I were away last week visiting Mom. When we got back, my garden had exploded into the late summer madness that always ensues. The zucchini and summer squash are pretty much over. I've got a late crop of green beans that are just perfect. The taller flowers are starting to get heavy and fall over. The Sungold tomatoes are taking over my garden world. 

I really love this time of garden abundance - it is all just so crazy and hodgepodge and luxurious. I love being in it wandering through, trying to squeeze my way through the rows and the weeds and trying not to knock over and squish plants and veggies. I would say it is my favorite thing to do late in the day just before the sun sets. 

As with every year in my garden, the sunflowers have grown taller than the weeds and they are starting to bud up. No matter how many times I plant the little seeds and then wait for the bloom, I can't get over the miracle of it all. 

Yesterday, the first sunflower plants started blooming. Since I grow a large variety of different sunflowers, I hope there will be continuous bloom through the end of September. I will try to share photos here and over on Instagram. You can follow me here.

Hope you are enjoying the waning days of summer. I've got peaches on my peach tree and for the first time, I have harvested some and given away plenty. I'm hoping to make a peach crisp  - that is if I can stop decorating pottery.