Back to School Blues...

Only last week we had so much fun collecting bugs in the yard. Now the house and garden are quiet every day. Except for the bugs who keep chirping on: Cicadas.
They have been making music all day this hot summer. How come they never run out of energy?
We collected their empty "shells" last week to see how many we could find around the house. They like to hang out on window sills, tree bark, the grape arbor, and the now empty playset.

I think we collected over 50 in all. Some shells where high up on trees and needed to be shot down with arrows. Some we could easily reach with the help of a chair.

The little kids tried them out as decorations on their shirts. How many can I put on my shirt and run around with without them falling off? I believe the record was 16. It was kind of creepy...

After all they are just empty shells. Life is gone from them - like it's gone from the house and our yard - with the kids back in school. I miss them running around the yard.

Soon the cicada's song will stop too, and everything will be completely quiet. I will miss you, Little Cicada!

Too early for fall?

I changed the layout of my blog to a fall motive. Do you think it is too early? I guess it is wishful thinking on my part. I am so tired of being hot. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. Love the colors. Browns, reds, oranges. Sorry I just couldn't wait to put them on my blog. I may not be able to change the weather but I can change the mood on my blog...=)
Dreaming of cooler days...

A Pocketdress for every Season: Spring,Summer, Fall, Winter

A Pocketdress for every Season: Spring,Summer, Fall, Winter, originally uploaded by germandolls.

Es war eine Mutter
die hatte vier Kinder
den Frühling, den Sommer
den Herbst und den Winter

Der Frühling bringt Blumen
der Sommer den Klee
der Herbst, der bringt Trauben
der Winter den Schnee

This is an old German folksong about the seasons. I loved it as a child and thought it goes so well with this picture of my dresses for the seasons.

In translation:
There once was a mother who had four children
spring, summer,
fall, and winter.

Spring brings flowers
Summer brings clover
Fall brings grapes
Winter brings snow

This song may not make a whole lot of sense to Americans who don't know about the fall grape harvest in Germany...Maybe it would make sense to a Californian? When do they harvest grapes there? Snow might work this year - since a lot of people who never had snow got lots of it this year. Didn't it snow in Georgia?

I am glad I live in Colorado. I love having seasons. I cannot imagine living in a place where the sun is always shining. I miss the grape harvest. But luckily we can go to the pumpkin patch instead. So my dresses are sort of the American version of the seasonal hightlights.

Fall Impressions / Herbstimpressionen

I cannot believe I took these pictures last weekend. It was a nice sunny day and the kids were helping with raking the leaves. They had so much fun plaing in them.

Ich kann es kaum glauben dass ich diese Fotos letztes Wochenende gemacht habe. Es war ein schoener sonniger Tag, und die Kinder halfen beim Sammeln der Blaetter. Sie hatten so viel Spass beim Spielen im Laub.

Two days later it snowed on us. A snowstorm dumped about 3 inches of snow on us...

Zwei Tage spaeter schneite es. Ein Schneesturm schuettete ca 10 centimeter Schnee auf uns herab..

I guess it is Good-Bye Fall already! Welcome winter!

Es scheint zu heissen: Auf Wiedersehen Herbst! Wilkommen Winter!