August 2023 Backyard Bulletin
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August is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. If you heard Tom Hanks' voice in your head as you read that sentence, I commend you. If you didn't, you might want to read it again, just for fun, and see if you can conjure any memories of Forrest Gump sitting on a park bench. If you have no idea what's happening here, you'll have to go watch the movie so you can get in the cultural loop. What were we talking about? Ah, yes, August.August can give flawless summer days, bountiful fruits and vegetables, alpine flowers, and memorable vacations. It can also serve up an overdose of heat, wildfire smoke-filled lungs, and grasshopper-filled gardens. In other words, some days will be like an incredible, juicy, cherry-filled chocolate, and others will be a little bit bitter and disappointing. This metaphor would be more robust if my sweet tooth wasn't so strong...I can't think of a chocolate I wouldn't be happy to eat! I'll see it through nonetheless with the idea that if the chocolate box was full of only your favorite candy, you wouldn't get to experience the unique joy of biting into what you assumed to be full of coconut, and finding a cherry. As I write this, it's cool and clear out - a gorgeous day borrowed from late June - but even sweeter to find it here in August.
-Bridger Layton