August is......

August is definitely the month to be married here in foothills of the Appalachians. And if you have the colors rose, white, periwinkle blue and royal purple you are set. The landscape will provide you with your bouquet and decor as you gaze upon fields of Queen Anne's lace, Chicory, pink clover, purple and rose Joe Pye Weed and the clear pink marsh Mallows. You can see more lovely pictures of these and more at

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/18829/Default.aspx

August is the month to take hot

steamy walks

down the country roads to look at the fullness of the neighbor's gardens.

I love the towers of beans

and the lines of green plants in the brown earth.

The heat rises from the ground when you weed in this month

and you have to choose early morning or later evening to keep your garden neat. You can see the love for the earth in others' gardens from the way they plant and how they maintain their plots. We gardeners are a comparative breed.

August is also the month when the sweet smell of hay drying in the fields lists on the heavy air.

Deep breaths gives me memories of riding in the back seat of the family

car on cooling nights riding home from visiting at the Grandparents in the city, Today, I can gain that same fragrance when I set out linens to dry in the sun. You can smell the sunshine when you lay down on the freshly dried sheets.

August is the time to enjoy the outdoor music festivals here. There are mini-concerts every week-end and often week long schedules of local music mixed with regional bands. We enjoyed Cristabels and the Jons on a recent cool summer evening sponsored by Stuart's Opera House in

Nelsonville. The crowd was easy, the music a mix of early swing from the Tennessee area, and the backdrop of architecture from the 1800's made for a night of sweet distraction.