August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.

~ Excerpt from “A Poem for Late August,” Elizabeth Maua Taylor

A window wide open to the night air, the almost Autumn air. Cool and fresh. I ran this morning in the cool woods, great running weather. In the afternoon, I weeded and weeded. There was a lovely breeze and coolness bringing energy. It was so pleasant and relaxing. I tackled my perennial garden and some of the vegetables that needed weeding. I made huge progress and began to see that I might, in this cooler weather, actually catch up on the weeds and get all the gardens cleaned up in the next few days. What a relief! While on my knees in the weeds of the vegetable garden I saw this little brand newly hatched baby turtle making its way, hopefully, to the river. An early hatcher. Typically they don’t appear until September. But, of course, here is a true and sure sign of autumn arriving. This week I planted two hibiscus plants that had many blossoms, late summer bloomers, I hope, for years to come.