I have a story to share that still feels unbelievable even today as I share it with you. There was a terrible fire at an apartment complex in our community last week, and my former caregiving client's apartment was a complete loss. The fire started in the neighboring tenant's apartment. She said she heard banging and strange noises next door. Before long, firefighters showed up outside her window, broke it, and rescued her through the window. There was no time to grab her purse, gather any belongings, or even find her beloved cat, Missy.

Happy Fall! 

Oh, how I love September! 

It is that time of year when cooler air arrives,

 settling among us with 

its welcome breath of fresh air, 

when mornings are 

for a fire in the stove, 

cozy blankets with cats snuggled close, 

the Bible in my hands, 

and coffee to sip on. 

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!