The Salvia Flowers are for Flower Friday; my favorite challenge has been hosted by Anni forever. Thanks!! The Anna Hummingbird is a bonus.

This is the official last day of Summer and it was a beautiful sunny day. I took advantage of the weather and did some pruning in the garden. I spent the most time removing the sucker branches under the flowering cherry tree, but there was deadheading and branches over the pathways cutback. The rain is scheduled to start tomorrow and really get heavy by Sunday. We need the rain and I enjoy the cooler weather.

I spent this afternoon with Ellie and her mom. I went over after school and stayed until we joined many of the children in her grade school and their parents at a movie night with popcorn and pizza in the cafeteria/ gym area. There were wall-to-wall kids on their blankets on the floor with chairs in the back for parents...also the cafeteria tables were set up and many parents sat back there. It was a fun night watching the Super Mario Bros movie as the children were free to gather with friends and move about as they wanted. A little 6-year-old boy near us came to his mom several times for money to buy a candy bar, soda, popcorn, and more candy. I enjoyed watching the interaction between the children with parents and friends more than watching the movie. :-)) They were good kids with respect for each other; I was impressed by their behavior. The best part was that Ellie's mom talked to several parents who she had gone to high school with. I think for the first time she felt like she fit in with families doing normal things with their children. I am feeling hopeful that she will stay and become a real mother to Ellie.