I am sitting here listening to the glorious rain falling. You can almost hear the plants pushing up their leaves to welcome their drink. The rest of the week is supposed to be hot but I will enjoy the rain while it is happening.

Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Chloe Cook and Caleb Kahl, who celebrated on July 30; Guilherme Silva on July 31; Joao Da Silva on August 2; Luiz Dos Santos on August 4; and to Natalie Worley, who celebrates her day on August 5.

I can’t believe it is August. This is the fast month; we have had the changeover of July people and now we’re on to the August families. The parents and kids are starting to think about going back to school. Families from the south are ready since most schools start next week. College students will be returning to classes. But the big things happening are Illumination Night, the Agricultural Fair and the fireworks in Oak Bluffs.

For the last two weeks, I have gone to the concerts on the lawn at the library and have not been disappointed. Last week Mark, Ellen and Bacon (their Bernese mountain dog) Blodgett joined me. I enjoyed their company.

As we walked home, Debbie MacInnis drove in. She had something for me and we all ended up sitting on my stone wall. While we were talking the sun was going down and I thought something was wrong because I kept seeing flashes. I figured out that they were fireflies. I have not seen that many in a long time. I had a great time watching them and wondering if kids these days would try to put them in a jar and see if they would light up.

People are really having a hard time with deer eating their plants this year. A few years ago, a man from Chappy was listening to the conversation about which deer products to use. When he came to the register, he looked at me and said, “Tell them to put out some water”. I knew he was a gardener and he told me he turned his trashcan lids upside down and put it at the corners of his yard. They are thirsty and with no rain, there are no puddles and the ponds are low. It certainly makes sense — and what does it hurt to try?

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.