Quintessentail summer

A blowup swimming pool in the backyard

on a 95 degree day,

inviting the neighbor,

staying in water until you turn 'pruny'

 

and giving their parents a break

for a little while. 

 

 Discovering a new (to me) orchard in Southern IL,

approx. 2 hours away 

with fields of zinnias, sunflowers and cosmos - 

my dream backyard! 

Sunflowers were a bit past prime

and I'll remind myself to go earlier next year

 

but I could have happily set up a folding chair

and stayed in the zinnia fields for hours,

soaking up color and the movement of pollinators and butterflies. 

It was magical.

 

As it is, I'll have to content myself with my selection at home -

until I win the lottery -

and then, I'm paying someone to till the backyard and expand my choices! 

I even treated myself to this tiny collage of zinnias

in anticipation of cooler days ahead.

 

Hanging on to summer while its here.