Don’t let summer end too soon.
Now with the current weather, I know it might seem ridiculous to remind you that it’s still summer. It’s been in the mid-80s most days and that kind of heat is probably all the reminder you need.
The thing is, there seems to be a shift that happens in August, particularly if you have school-age kids. They go back to class and we let summer slip away. Summer isn’t just about a set number of days on the calendar; I think it’s a state of mind as well.
While the weather is still warm and the flowers are still blooming, make sure to take advantage of the outdoors and your backyard or patio. Savor these last easy going, relaxing days and store up your great summer memories. Before you know it, the leaves will turn and the snow will fall.
Here are some ideas of things to do to enjoy these last weeks before gearing up for the fall:
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- Backyard picnic – When is the last time you pulled out a blanket, gathered everyone around and enjoyed some nice “al fresco” dining in your own backyard? If you’ve been growing veggies, you probably have lots of super fresh food to enjoy, which you can pair with a nice glass of wine or some ice tea or lemonade.
- Barbeque – With the monsoons lessening the wildfire danger, now is a great time to have a barbeque and it’s a great excuse to gather the kids in the backyard for a few games while dinner is on the grill.
- Unplug – Give yourself a digital detox by spending some time outside and off your phone, tablet or computer. And, by the way, that means no headsets or earbuds. Go outside, listen to birds and leaves in the wind, and take your eyes off that screen. There’s more to life than the Internet. Bonus points if you strike up a conversation with another human being. 🙂
- Freshening up the garden – Most of your garden is probably doing fine, but it’s likely that some of your annuals have either exhausted their blooms. Grab a few six packs of things like portulaca or diamond frost euphorbia and use them to patch up sections of your garden. They are great late summer plants and can tolerate any end of season hot spells we get.
- Watch a sunset. We are blessed with some amazing summer skies to enjoy in northern Arizona. Find a spot and take a moment to really enjoy them.
- Join us for FLAVOR. Before summer ends, Warner’s Nursery will be the venue for a brand spanking new event, the FLAVOR Northern Arizona Food and Wine Festival. It’s a great way to learn more about local wine (and mead!) makers, brewers, restaurants and our good friends at the Sweet Shoppe Candy Store. Music and more, all on our beautiful grounds at Warner’s. You can learn more about it here.
- Spend every moment you can outside. No, summer isn’t over, but it is in limited supply. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures will soon drop and the holidays will be here before you know it. So make hay while the summer sun shines.
Happy gardening,
Misti