The Universe Answers

I am finding ways to love Summer.

I have begun a journal. I have begun my list.

I want 95 different whys I love summer, one for each day
from Summer Solstice to Autumn Equinox.
I have written 60 just this morning.

I want to take a photograph of my loves.

I want to take action so my loves are more than just a number
 on a list, more than a photograph.
I want to look forward to Summer.
I want to love Summertime.

I wasn't sure if I should start this project this year, after all Summer is half over.  I already have so many irons in the fire I wasn't sure I would have time. I wasn't sure I could sustain a love. It has been too hot and too dry for too long this year. The misery factor must be taken into account.
So this morning, when I greeted the Dawn, I asked for guidance.
I was writing in my Leo journal while sitting at the kitchen table.
It was already hot and humid. I had come in from the deck.
 I just couldn't stay outside.
I couldn't sit with the birds this morning.
I looked out the  window and the female Tiger Swallowtail in her black form came to the bird seed Sunflowers that are growing in the front flowerbed.
I grabbed the camera. Through my tears I took a series of photographs. The light was not wonderful. I used daylight fill in.
I wanted to document my answer. I had told my husband I would fall in love with Summer for sure if I saw a female Tiger Swallowtail in her black dress at the Sunflowers.
Looks like I have a new project.

But like this Cicada I could get stuck.

I love hearing the Cicadas sing.

 They are one of the sounds of Summer that reminds me of when I was a child. I would play outside until the street lights came on.
My sister and I would collect Cicada shells and give them to our  Grandmother when we went to see her.

As I finish up Summer I know there will be days
 I am just hanging on waiting for the cooler days of Autumn.

It is hot.

The bugs seem to thrive in the heat.
Watching them is so wonderful.
The Harvesters enjoy the ivy.

The Black swallowtail caterpillars are growing.
I found three in the Queen Anne's Lace.
It is their native host plant.

I love Queen Anne's Lace.

It is a native Prairie wildflower.

I love every stage of the blooms.

I have a nice mix of native and cultivated.
The Orange Sulphurs seem to enjoy the Bright Eye Cosmos.

Marigolds are one of my most cherished flowers. I always gather seed for next year.
My seed to seed has been on going for 39 years...
Marigolds were the first flower I ever grew at age 4.
I still remember sowing the seeds in the cracks of my Father's driveway.

The Cardinals are nesting for the second time this year. I saw her on her nest in the hops. I try to keep fresh water near by the hops and seeds on the deck. Second nesting is risky but with our support she should be successful.

The Gold Finches have found the white cone flower garden.
These flowers are setting seeds early too.

I found a strange looking cocoon in the rose bush.
I have never seen this before.
I will keep an eye.

Everyday I will find another why
I love Summer.

I just might start another blog to keep track of my 95 whys...
just maybe. I will ask the universe if this is a good idea.
I love the way the universe answers my inquiries.