I think my sense of time is distorted. I told Jeff that I hadn’t been over to the blog in a little while and it was really about time I posted an update, then I came and saw that my last post was late June- goodness. How is it nearly the end of August already? I went to write a post and saw that there were messages from you that I didn’t know about. Normally, I get e-mail notifications when anyone comments here, but I didn’t get notified for any of them. I was so disappointed when I discovered that, I certainly didn’t mean to ignore you! I thought that my poor readers stopped commenting because this space was so quiet these days.

Well, this summer feels like it is just flying by. Does it feel that way for you too? Let’s see what we’ve been up to…. we had faraway friends visit, enjoyed delicious meals in the garden with nearby friends (our picnic table has gotten a lot of use this summer, as well as our little barbecue), and went to a fiber festival (we simplified our travel schedule a lot, reducing the number of shows we had planned for this year.) We worked, did projects in the garden, and felt like we were in constant catch-up mode around here. My dad and stepmom came to visit and we went blueberry picking, something we love to do together every summer if we can make it happen.

Then the boy and I went on a road trip, joining my dad and stepmom on a drive from Oregon out to Wyoming to see my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. It was such a gift to have time with family and to meet my nephew, he is such a love. The pictures are from a hike we took to a beautiful lake, and a view of the Tetons as we were driving home- such an amazing sight. I’ve been going through the family pictures I took and smiling at what good holiday gifts they will make (framed pictures are one of my favorite gifts to give, and to receive.)

I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, and since the boy and I started reading the first two books together this summer, he has become quite the fan as well. The four of us had so much fun listening to the audiobooks in the car during our road trip, it was the perfect thing to listen to while we enjoyed the scenery along the way. I also appreciated the knitting time, such a rare treat for me to get so much time to knit!

I’m not ready for summer to leave, but I can feel fall coming closer. We’ve been preserving food for the winter and thoughts are on firewood and getting the woodshed filled up. It seems like we just wrapped up activities for the last school year, and now we’re preparing for the next one. Summers always go by too fast, don’t they? What have you been up to this summer? Anything else you’re still wanting to squeeze in? I’m feeling very grateful because we get some more family time soon, and I’m looking forward to meeting my other new nephew. But, before that happens, I have a lot to catch up on around here, so off I go. Wishing you all a great week!