Farewell, August.

“There is a time in the last few days of summer when the ripeness of autumn fills the air, and time is quiet and mellow.”
— Rudolfo Anaya

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This week has felt like a little bridge between summer and the start of autumn. I know it’s not officially fall until late September, but the air has crisped, the temperatures have cooled, and the first subtle changes are starting to show in the leaves. The transition back to school is official, too—and tonight we’re celebrating the first home Rover football game. Nothing says fall quite like Friday night lights!

At the beginning of this week, I’ll admit I wanted to hold onto summer forever: a few more trips to the pool, another hot day tucked into the shade of the forest, and one more BBQ dinner outdoors. But little by little, the season is nudging me forward. I’m finding myself planning Dutch oven meals, reaching for an extra layer on cool mornings, and—yes—starting to crave the cozy scents and flavors of cinnamon and (dare I say it) pumpkin. 

I’ve been dodging the pumpkin questions for weeks now. Every time someone asks, I laugh it off and say, “not quite yet.” But this week, as the mornings turned cool and the markets started filling with pumpkins, apples, and pears, I finally felt ready to let summer go—at least a little bit.

Still, I’m holding onto what I can. The very last of the summer berries found their way into this week’s gelato, and we’ve tucked them all into one scoop: Wildberry Gelato, with wild blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It tastes like summer’s last bright goodbye, full of color and sunshine, waving us into the softer days ahead.

We’ve also brought back a few flavors that feel like old friends: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Butterfinger, and the ever-comforting Butter Pecan (we’ll keep that one around as long as we possibly can).

And because we couldn’t let this week pass without a little celebration, we made something extra special for our scoop girl Lyla, who just turned 16: Pineapple Upside Down Cake Gelato—a sweet, cheerful flavor that feels just right for a birthday at the edge of summer.

We’ll be scooping all weekend long—and yes, even on Labor Day Monday—giving summer the warm farewell it deserves as we welcome in autumn’s first notes.

Links + finds from the week:

• One of my long-time favorite bloggers wrote the sweetest book about contentment and I'm loving every page.
• A simple way to start and keep your own flowers each year: try the Floret Flower Seed Saving Mini Course!
• My favorite late summer chowder features corn and zucchini and yes: bacon!
• I loved this short read.
• Nothing is quicker than a baby grabbing for anything.  Four kids in, and I'm still shook by the number of times she gets me. This is hilariously accurate.

Have the best late summer weekend!

xx,

Lisa