summer, for a little longer

as summer starts to wind down and the kids head back to school, i always find myself thinking about how quickly the season seems to disappear. it feels like just yesterday we were making summer plans, and now we're looking at school calendars and wondering where june and july went.

we've spent the summer doing all the things that make this time of year so good—backyard dinners, gardening, swimming, playing with the kids, gathering around the fire, and stretching those long evenings outside for as long as possible. they're simple things, but they're often the moments we remember.

that's one of the things i love about being outside. our yards become more than just a landscape. they're where we gather, where kids play, where gardens grow, where we entertain friends, and where we find a little space to slow down. when a landscape works well, it becomes a natural extension of the home.

even though summer isn't over yet, this time of year always gets me thinking about the seasons ahead. not because i'm ready to give up summer—we definitely aren't there yet—but because the changing seasons are part of what makes gardening and living outside so interesting. there's always something new to look forward to.

so for now, i'm trying not to rush it. there are still plenty of tomatoes to pick, gardens to enjoy, dinners to eat outside, and evenings to linger a little longer. fall will get here soon enough.

for those of us in naperville, aurora, plainfield, yorkville, batavia, geneva, glen ellyn, wheaton, downers grove, lisle, and the western suburbs of chicago, there's still plenty of summer left. i'm going to enjoy every bit of it.