Nineteen years of retirement and the back-to-school feelings still cross my mind. I bought two small boxes of crayons. Did you know that crayons can now be purchased as glitter crayons, metallic crayons, pearl, swirl, cosmic, Uni-crayons, neon, pastel, and world colors that contain 24 colors to stand for people from all over the world? I have been working on that list of who gets what one day. I wonder who will want all my boxes of crayons?

Children that I taught in second grade have grown children. That does sometimes make me feel a bit OLD, but I am thankful for good health, a supportive loving family and an extraordinarily long to do list to keep me active. I once was highly organized and now several things on my to-do list have been there for quite some time. My Sunday school class may fall out of their seats when they learn that a project I have been piddling with is just days away from completion!

The August heat offers the opportunity to piddle around. Listen to the hum of the cicadas. Get up early and watch the sun rise. That golden glow across the pond in the early morning sunrise will wake up my smile, if I do not see a snake taking an early morning swim. Stop and smell the air as your neighbor cuts the hay. We have had lots of rainbows, lately. The moon and all its beautiful phases and meteor showers are worth seeing.

John David and Poppy have had a great summer together gardening. The Still Hunting crew will eat well this winter. I have no clue how many gallons of purple hull peas, corn, tomatoes, okra or squash they have harvested and preserved for winter eating. Many watermelons and cantaloupes have been shared. My directions are to be in Gordo at 3:11 p.m. on Friday, when the bus drops them off, to pick him up to help Poppy over the weekend. I wonder which one will climb the tree to harvest the wild muscadines and scuppernong. Who will get to the pears first — John David, Poppy or the deer?

Late summer offers the opportunity for succession planting of many vegetables. Clear away the spent plants and replenish the soil with your compost. Cool season vegetables like collards (not in my garden — I am not a fan of the smell when they are cooking) turnips, kale, mustard greens, even fall peas should thrive in the cooler weather.

Heavy rains and watering often compacted your soil. Take time to gently cultivate the surface. A quick shallow run through with the garden tiller will loosen the soil. Be careful not to disturb the root systems. Some things in the flower garden may need a refresh of mulch after you have gently scratched the soil with your hoe or rake.

As we are still recovering from early spring storm damage, flower beds and potted plants do not always get the attention they need. I have observed that I can work in a bed this afternoon and by morning chamber bitter has reappeared. It is easy to pull out. Hand weeding works well because the plant has no below ground bulbs or rhizomes to resprout. Dispose carefully as each leaflet is covered on the underside with seeds.

The Lowndes County Master Gardeners have not been piddling around. They have been remarkably busy this spring and summer keeping our award-winning butterfly garden alive for butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and songbirds. The garden was recognized by the Mississippi Extension Service with the Enduring Project Award at the recent annual conference. Many varieties of plants are maintained by the membership to provide a variety of nectar and pollen sources.

The Lowndes County Master Gardeners invite you to join us on Sept. 6 for our fifth annual Butterfly Bonanza. We will be there from 9 to 11 a.m. Our Butterfly Garden is located at 40 Moore’s Creek Road just off the Riverwalk. The event is free. You can get your photo made with “Butterfly Betty.” Sip on a cool glass of lemonade as you stroll about the garden learning more about the lifecycle of the butterfly, native plants that attract butterflies, and butterflies in our area. The event is child-friendly with face painting, free snow cones and sidewalk chalk activities.

Contact the Lowndes County Extension Office for details of becoming a Mississippi Master Gardener. Registration is open from Aug. 13 to Sept. 10. Fees do apply.

Online courses open on Oct. 1 and must be completed by Dec. 3.

Former elementary teacher and avid gardener Olivia Sansing lives in the New Hope community and shares timely tips on behalf of the Lowndes County Master Gardeners.