Going, going...

School has been in session close to two weeks, now, and the rhythm of routine is settling in.  The school system's brand spanking new, bigger and better computer system is still in upgrading mode. Daily emails tell me not to worry, when it is fully functional, I will know all.  In the meantime, not to worry.  

Homework cannot be posted by teachers, but the resident grandchildren are working away, so they must still be able to write down assignments. The system, additionally, cannot yet deduct fees and assessments from the children's accounts.  It's all the same money, now or then; I don't care.  Even if I had it out to interest I would earn a mere penny.  

Getting the children back in school does make the beginning of September feel more like meteorological fall than my lamenting of its seasonal opposite last spring.

I sat on the front deck in the sun this afternoon and had a long overdue chat with Ann in Wisconsin. The phone said forty five minutes when we were done.  I sat there so long I accomplished my spring project of acting like a statue with a camera.  I watched three cardinals and a woodpecker dominate the bird feeder, eating away for half an hour, with various chickadees vying for a lesser spot on the feeder, and sparrows and doves cleaning up the seed on the ground.

Sadly, I did not have the camera, and I wasn't about to say to Ann, well, bye, I need to use the phone to take pictures.  I see that is a completely feasible project, and I'll try it again, with my camera.

I do have some interesting pictures.  Laura's sunflowers, about two weeks apart.  They are maturing in a row, and the first one has such a heavy head--but not ready for birds, yet.

Out in the backyard, a most interesting discovery yesterday:

The fungus in the watermelon rind hole

Disappeared!  

Its remains probably are there on the lower lip.

No one made a trip down the ravine for scientific observation and analysis.

Saddest of all endings to summer--no one brought watermelon to the picnic.