Strange Summer!
I'm one of those people who relate to the world through the changing of the seasons, the growing cycle of the region I live in, and the natural world. For that reason, this summer has been rather confusing for me. Spring started abnormally early. Some crops and native plants have matured or bloomed outside of their normal time slot. July was like the dog days of August with skyrocketing temperatures and heavy oppressive humidity. Here I sit on a Sunday afternoon in August with a cool breeze coming through my office window. The whole thing has been plain weird! My chives started to bloom later in May than usual, and have continued to bloom nonstop all summer long. Usually they bloom in early May and then they're done. I was at my cousin Dave's house the other day and was absolutely shocked to find his magnolia tree in bloom! No kidding! It was really blooming and my proof is the picture I snapped located to the left. If I'd been just a day or so earlier, I might have been able to catch it at peak bloom, but as you can see the bloom was fading.

Nature has a way of equalizing itself, and as the summer begins to draw to a close, I'm hoping the shift to fall will bring normalcy to the woods, fields, and my gardens. I'm looking forward to my favorite time of year .... cooler temperatures, pumpkins, brilliantly colored and falling leaves, tromps through the woods to collect hickory nuts and bittersweet.

Another oddity will be my oldest son living at home this year, as he commutes to college. My husband and I handed financial responsibility for his education over to him after his first year. Once the financial responsibility became his own, he realized he could save a LOT of money if he didn't have to pay for living in the dorms. Fortunately for him, we live within driving distance of his chosen college. Unfortunately for me, I'm living with the "stress" of an adult child living in my home. Sometimes I find it difficult to step back and allow him to be an adult. I'm working on it.

Upcoming 16 Ounce Fragrance Sale
We will be sending out an email flyer to announce the exact date, but we're giving our newsletter subscribers and advance notice of our annual fragrance sale towards the end of the month. During this sale, all 16 ounce size fragrances will be $4 off. This is always a quick four day sale, running from a Friday to Monday, so you'll want to be sure not to miss this opportunity to stock up on fragrances for the upcoming busy holiday season.