It is so friggin' hot and dry:  7% humidity outside and 90º on my thermometer in the shade.  I've been making sure the birds have water but it's a task to keep everything else watered.   The city of Boulder has a policy this year of penalizing over-watering, but you don't have any way to know when you're about to go over the limit.  I'm usually under the limit,  but it's hard to tell.

We spent some time at the Boulder creek yesterday and soaked in the sounds and negative ions from the burbling water.   It took my mind off my crunchy grass at home.

This picture from wikimedia.org really does it justice.  

The Dog Days of Summer.  This is the 15th day of 90º plus temps.

A great way to start the day is going out to add water to the bird feeder and seeing a spotted fawn darting out from behind a gooseberry bush 8 feet away. The mom is munching on my garden with her two little ones. The deer have been busy reproducing this year! Here's a photo of another baby that visited us a few months ago.

A neighbor down the street, is an artist and a gardener. For years I've walked by her Christmas tree farm and we bought some honey from her hives which was pretty tasty. Last year she gave away a bunch of plants from her garden and I got a rose bush and some sort of vine that are doing well in my yard. This year, she is giving away trees! I picked up a Russian Hawthorne and an Acer Maple. What a lovely person to have around.

This sign of summer was new to me, though I imagine it's been there for years. When the sunset shines on my washing machine, it must be pretty high in the sky. It's in a northwest room of my house. Next year I'll track the progress - maybe this will be my personal Stonehenge.

Did I mention Honey and Sweetie moved out? It's the second exodus from the nest so it is just what it is. I'm in the midst of spreading out after a year of squeezing 4 adults into a house that was probably meant for 2 adults/2 kids. Now there is space where there was none before. I can change things and rearrange without getting four opinions first. I miss them but we all like each other so we still see each other.

The worst of the grass pollen has passed so I can get back out into the yard again to move things around and weed and water. This time of year has got to be my fav.