It was hard coming home to Iowa last August. Normally I'm pretty glad to get home and get back into the swing of things, but last year was different because my beloved cat Brody had died a few weeks earlier. The house felt emptier and sad without him there. I was in tears when we got back and cried a lot as I unpacked our things throughout the house, missing his presence so much.
But, life does go on (even for Brody, though his continues in a different place), and even though my heart was heavier than usual, we did enjoy the last week-and-a-half of summer vacation before school began again.
The boys and their friends had a lot of fun with the sandbox. It's almost like being at the beach!
These cornstalk-like plants sprout up while we're away during the summer. I always found this funny.
I love Iowa!
I love Iowa!
I really enjoyed the variety of pretty little birds that came into our yard. We had birdfeeders that I kept filled regularly and that kept them coming. I really miss those birds now that we're gone. Our new yard doesn't attract many birds (but I also haven't set out the birdfeeders yet, so there is some hope of having little bird friends again. Yes, I fancy myself a bit of a Cinderella, I guess!).
It was fun to watch the TV coverage of the solar eclipse on August 21st. That day was kind of cloudy in Iowa, and we weren't in the path of totality, but with the special eclipse glasses (which it was a feat to obtain!) you could definitely see the shadow of the moon in front of the sun. For the next one I want to be at a place in the country where there is a total eclipse. Upstate New York, I'm looking at you!
I wore this necklace in honor the eclipse because I'm corny like that.
I miss this view.
My new Ugg house slippers. They were comfy and cozy and a little tight at first, but they soon "relaxed" with daily wear.
I really miss this spot! It was my favorite place to read.
I bought this pretty plate at my favorite pottery shop on the Cape to go under this water fountain that I'd bought there a year or two earlier. The water sometimes splashed out, and the plate was the perfect solution to catch the splashes (even though it's actually a serving plate for food!).
Sam's card to his friend Wyatt. This tugs at my heartstrings, then and now!
I was looking forward to the third season of Poldark starting the following month.
