Oh, what a joy it is to welcome the beautiful month of September! It seems this entire year has just flown by, and here we are sailing into Fall with all its splendor. The trees have begun their gentle color flush, the grass is withering, and the flowers are fading... with the most brilliant colors of Fall on the horizon - I can't wait! 

August was a busy month! The garden was producing and keeping me busy! 

Always a good feeling to put up canned vegetables for the winter months.

My stamping friends and I got together to start working on Christmas cards. I can't even wrap my mind around it... But here we are! The "ber" months are here!

We always have so much fun together!

One evening, I was working in my garden when I saw this striking cloud formation at sunset. It looked like a heart that was spreading its wings...

A short while later, the clouds were moving quickly, and the form slowly disappeared.

I love watching the clouds, especially at sunset - they are filled with wonder and incredible colors!

Danika spent her first night away from her parents with us! We had so much fun on our first sleepover. From the moment she awoke (4:30 in the morning!) until she fell asleep in my arms at bedtime, she wanted to be outside. Here she is in her nightclothes, wearing my shoes, ready to go feed the chickens!!

She loved picking strawberries fresh out of the garden. My everbearing strawberries are producing huge berries right now!

We watched the amazing August moon come up! It was incredibly beautiful! So bright and full in the night sky. Danika watched the moon with me. We shared the wonder of its beauty together.

I bought a box of peaches from a local supplier, and froze them for my girls to use in smoothies for the grands. They love a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

I also bought a box of pears and canned pear sauce for the girls. It is so yummy mixed with cottage cheese! Or just by itself. I add no sugar - just a bit of lemon juice. So good!

Had a wonderful tea party last week. Because the weather has been so hot, we had it in the evening. It was truly delightful to visit with dear friends and watch the lights come on and the stars come out. I took this picture after everyone had left.

It brings my heart such joy to enjoy my garden with friends!

And of course, enjoy all the wonderful food - everyone brings something, and it is a delight to have so many yummies to sample!

The August moon eclipse was incredible! I got to watch it from my garden as I was cleaning up from the tea party! What a blessing to see such a spectacular wonder in the sky.

Because our skies have been so smoky, it was truly miraculous that we could see the eclipse of the moon! The skies were clear, and the stars were out.

We went to Creston, BC, with Dan's cousin and his wife on a Saturday. They live very close to the Canadian border, so they often "go across" into Canada. We had a wonderful time with them.

We ate at a lovely restaurant in Creston, and they ordered a Creme Brulé for us to share. It was delicious!

We also stopped by Tim Hortons for a late afternoon double-double coffee. My Canadian readers will know what that means {smiles}. I did get mine a decaf as I wanted to sleep that night!

As we were crossing back into the USA, we could see the Upper Smith wildfire burning. It is a massive wildfire (4808 acres) that was started by lightning and has been burning for several months in northern Idaho.

We were treated to gorgeous sunset skies on our way home.

More produce picked from the garden - now it is keeping me busy every day!

Smoky skies and broken hearts have been our reality here ever since Saturday, August 1, when three wildfires roared through the heart of Spokane and brought such unimaginable destruction. I've spent a lot of time in my garden praying for those who have suffered so much and have such a long road ahead of them. Our writing group adopted a family who lost their home and put together a package filled with gifts and cash for this family.  We continue to help as many as we can through prayers and donations to organizations on the ground helping these people rebuild their lives from the ashes. 

Many of you have seen the headlines about the horrific fires in Spokane, Washington, which is about an hour west of us. Thankfully, we have not had any major wildfires in our area. Still, with the volatility of the weather and the parched landscape, it has all of us on edge about the possibility that it could happen here. Our hearts are just broken to see the horrifying pictures and stories coming out of Spokane yesterday. The wall of smoke from the fires reached our area about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. I took the picture below when it arrived just south of my garden. It was so awful to know that so many precious lives had everything burnt up in that smoke. Over 600+ structures have been lost, and the fires are 0% contained. We have many family and friends in Spokane who had to evacuate, but all of them have reported that, to their knowledge, their homes are still standing. We have been praying for the Lord to protect the homes and lives of all those impacted.  This is a situation that is still very concerning, and I ask for your prayers for the safety of all involved. Danielle's sister-in-law is an EMT/firefighter and has been assigned to Spokane to fight the fires. We pray for all of those who are sacrificing their lives and health to work on these fires. 

Last week was a busy one for me! We packed a lot into one week. Our skies turned hazy from smoke from fires in neighboring counties and states. Thankfully, the smoke wasn't too thick, and we could still see the sky. That was such a blessing. My garden continues to prosper, as late summer bloomers take their end of the "Parade of Blooms" quite seriously! 

 
There are some months of the year that we wish would hurry up, and there are other months that we wish time would slow down so we could savor the joy.  July has been one of those months. Slow down, July!  The garden is fully planted, and everything is growing happily. We have had beautiful weather, with intermittent rain showers, and only just recently got into the 90s for a couple of days. I am able to enjoy my garden more now, since all the major chores have been done, and now I am just maintaining and stopping to enjoy its beauty. I've continued to have friends and family over for tea in the garden because I love to share the joy it brings me with others! And here we are, already past the middle of July! 

I don't even know where this beautiful month of June has gone! But it has been a busy one - full of lots of wonderful summer activities. We had a very special Father's Day together with the kids, then there was a neighborhood branding, a neighborhood girls' birthday party, and quite a few get-togethers with friends and family. June has been a beautiful month with abundant sunshine!  We have even gotten quite a bit of rain, which has been such a blessing. We are truly blessed beyond measure. 

My clematis is beginning to bloom! Its glorious purple blooms are just starting, and I can't wait until it completely fills out. My scarlett runner beans are off to a "running" start, and it won't be long before they cover the trellis!

The clematis blooms are so vibrant that the pictures don't even do them justice!

It is now raspberry season! I picked the first ripe ones today. You can see the bushes are loaded! I have been thrilled to see all the native honeybees busily working the raspberries this year. The mild winter certainly enabled the bees to have an easier year, I think!

We enjoy watching the sunset from our back porch. The evening skies never disappoint!

A massive pot of chili for a gathering of dear friends we hadn't seen in many years. It was so good to have us all together, and chili is a great meal to serve a lot of people!

Some blooms in my garden - I like finding vintage metal pieces to use as flower pot displays.

I am enjoying my Pampered Chef Snackle Box! It has a couple of ice trays you can freeze and that keeps the food cold. It comes with a snapping lid that you can carry to picnics and gatherings. It has been wonderful to eat healthier at picnics and get-togethers!

A local town has a huge flag that flies above the downtown area. It is magnificent to see, especially when the wind is blowing gently.

Our neighbors held their annual branding event. It was such a beautiful day.

The mommas had to be separated from the calves, but they were let out into a field with lots of tall green grass, and that helped keep them content while they were temporarily separated.

Their tractor carried a hay wagaon that we were able to sit on and watch the branding.

Now... the mommas are not happy after they realize their calves were separated from them.

Our dear neighbor, 100 years old this year! She is the matriarch of this beautiful family that manages the cattle and comes out on the hay wagon to oversee the event.

The calves had to be herded through the chute to get the brand.

This little one looked like he was not too happy!

This was before the cows were let into the field without their calves.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

This is a non-fiction memoir of one woman's 21 years living in Ecuador.

Lorrie takes the reader on a journey from her arrival in Ecuador with her husband through the years of raising three children and experiencing unique adventures that stretched her faith. Life in Short but Wide invites you to experience the honesty of a cross-cultural experience that includes heartbreak and humour on a path that led to beauty and grace.

When Lorrie Orr looks at how God has shown up in her life, she is filled with gratitude for the faithfulness of God in times of shadow, questions, and joy. Her life is an illustration of how stepping out in faith can lead to a life filled with grace and beauty

You will learn how Lorrie came to use the phrase Life is Short But Wide in the story, and it will be profound, I assure you! You definitely want to read her story :)

The giveaway is only open to US residents. Please leave a comment on the post below letting me know you are entering the giveaway. I cannot send the book to anyone with anonymous comments, so please be sure to leave me a link to your blog or a way to contact you. The giveaway will be open for two weeks and will close on Sunday, July 19th, with the winner announced on Monday, July 20th. I know that you will be blessed to read her story, and if you are interested in purchasing her book, here is the link: Life is Short But Wide. 

Today is Canada Day, and I want to take this opportunity to wish all my dear Canadian readers a Happy Canada Day! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating! I was blessed to be born in Canada and to have enjoyed all the bountiful blessings of growing up on Prince Edward Island. I have wonderful family members and friends there who I love dearly! Wishing all of them a Happy Canada Day! 

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend celebrating the 4th of July, and our nation's 250th birthday! I have a dear friend who calculated how long she has been alive for the years' length of this nation. I did the math for myself, and I have been alive for 20.89% of the 250 years of this great nation! Wow! 

Sharing an old video I did some years ago of a collection of patriotic music. These are some of my very favorite patriotic songs! I wish each of you a blessed and special time celebrating Canada's birthday today, and the United States of America's birthday on July 4th! God bless you all!  

Happy Canada Day and Happy July 4th!