Is Summer Over Before It Started???

Well, since all the weathermen are forecasting snow tomorrow night, it sure feels like it!! Another beautiful 80+ day.....warm enough that the a/c was being turned on in vehicles. The cold front is making its way toward us, though.

We had a pretty laid-back day. We had a nice walk in the park this morning. We're so fortunate to have a nice outdoor walking track, as well as a good indoor track. The outside track in the park has recently had a second loop added to it, so really dedicated walkers can take a paved track from the park north to the hospital, and loop up to Jefferson Street and back to the park. I'm not sure how long the entire track is, but the route is paved and  there are sidewalks the entire route. We, however, just stick with the shorter loop in the park.

I enjoy walking where it's level now. I grew up somewhere between the Tater Hills near Coloma and the Mandeville Hills.....but, believe me, it was hilly where we were!  There wasn't a level spot in our yard. I always think about that yard when we're mowing ours. We had probably an acre of yard, maybe a little more. And, of course, we only had a push mower. I can't remember how old I was when I started mowing, but we started slow and I gradually took over everything except the ditch banks. I'd usually do about half the yard one day and finish it the next.

Like most farm folks, we mowed beyond the yard to make sure things looked good. When the garden was just south of the house, we mowed all the way around it......that was partly to discourage snakes from getting too close to us when we worked in the garden. (And that didn't always work - I remember well the day I was in the garden and my dog was bit on the nose by a copperhead not too far from where I was.) We also mowed in the barn lot down to the not-so-lovely but functional outhouse.....and in another section of the barn lot across the fence from the front of the house. There was a water tank for the cows in that area, so I think the thought was keeping it clean for us in case we needed to get to that tank for any reason. When the garden moved from south of the house to across the creek to the east, we kept the entire area up to the garden mowed......and, yes, we continued to mow where the garden on the south had been.

I hope I haven't crossed a line into being an "old fogey" - but memories are such a wonderful thing. I loved growing up on a farm - it was a great experience. Being married to a "city boy" from Palo Alto, California, makes it even  more fun - our childhoods were SO different. I enjoy explaining to him what it was like for me learning to ride a bike in those Hills on a gravel road. It was definitely unforgettable! My parents should've owned stock in Bandaid!

It was a great day, and tomorrow I'll probably complain about the weather again.

Have a great evening. TTFN.