Last days of summer...

The last days of summer...it saddens me. I'm ever so slowly starting to prepare for the reality of student life which is going to hit me in about a week. Orientation for new students is this week and classes officially start on Thursday, September 10. I don't actually have a class until Wednesday, September 16 since Wednesday is my only day with regular class meetings I also have a weekend class and independent study, so I'll be taking 11 credit hours this semester. My mind still feels very far from academics though, after a very necessary and refreshing break this summer.

Here are a few of the ways in which I am spending my last days of summer:

This afternoon Carrie, Andrea and I went to the Japanese garden in Mishawaka, IN. This is one of the many, many squirrels that we have around this area. I think Carrie named him Harvey. We also met up with Hank, Henry, Harry, and Harriette. We didn't run into Jose this afternoon, but maybe another time.

Sitting with the statues at the garden. We decided that they needed to display our bags and my water bottle.

:)

Shirojiri Park

My new water canner that I purchased on sale yesterday. Prior to this I borrowed a smaller canner from a friend and used my stock pot, also pictured above. Carrie and I spent 7.5 hours canning tomatoes yesterday. I counted 60 jars of tomato product on our pantry shelves, and there's still one more canning session left as our tomato plants just keep producing. The garden has really slowed down. I've already pulled out the corn, carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. Now all I have left to harvest is the remainder of the tomatoes and the sweet peppers. We left our green peppers on the plants to turn red and many of them are just about ready to be picked.

My John Deere wear, courtesy of Carrie. The pink bandanna says "Nothing runs like a Deere."

At long last, a picture of the Deere that I've been driving all summer. I spent hours and hours on this tractor. The four-wheel steering feature was amazing, you could just whip around a tree and have a perfect trim. I became quite proficient at unclogging that chute to the hopper.

Last moments on summer crew on Friday, September 4.
I've already secured a spot on next summer's crew and my supervisor said he might even put me on the big tractor pulling the 15' mower next summer!!!