August and the latest Paris storefronts

The novelty of summer has worn off. We are all back from vacation, have stopped analyzing our tan lines, stopped making big plans and haven't seemed to make it much further than our front porch.

We're fine with it.

August exists as a way to prepare us for the end of summer.

It's still warm yet mornings have a new chill in the air and we find ourselves scrounging around the back of our closets for a sweater. "I know I left it here somewhere back in May."

We are ready.

August filled us with tomatoes and peaches, given us bloom after bloom, and a tree of apples to pick. We've had our fill. We are ready for pants and socks again.

On this last week of August we are on butterfly watch. Last year we had a caterpillar on our dill plant. We had high hopes but he was suddenly gone, likely a bird snack. We have so many birds here. We are near a World Biosphere Reserve, which sounds very grand, but it's the same place it has always been except now it includes a big sign stating its status.

We have a point of land jutting out in Lake Erie. Unimaginatively called Long Point. Birds from way up north fly down, rest here, fly to the end of the point, rest again, then take a big flight over the lake to the USA. The American Dream bird-style.

So we have a lot of birds interrupting our butterfly experiments.

This year we improved our methods by capturing a caterpillar and trapping it in a container designed for such things. Added milkweed. Waited. Nature takes a long time when you're watching it.

Waiting for water to boil and all that.

You want to poke it.

We've given up on mowing the grass often as well.

It stays longer for, well, longer. Mowing it right before the neighbours start to talk. A century from now, lawn mowing machines will be in museums and those of us living through the 21st century will be seen as barbaric. Trying to control nature.

Lawns will be a cacophony of wildflowers and our garden goal will be to avoid monocultures (like grass) from taking over. The younger generation will scoff down at us from their high horses. How could you have mown the lawn?!

I won't leave notes for historians to find regarding our butterfly-to-be in captivity.

My routine has altered slightly due to my 100 Paris Storefronts Project.

Get up. Sketch. Sleep. Get up. Paint. Sleep. Get up. Post. Sleep. Repeat.

Discipline is not a bad thing. It is the fastest way to improvement and that is juice to keep the project rolling along. I'm wild about getting better at these storefronts so I can get faster at making them.

So many storefronts, so little time!

I don't think I'm alone here in missing vibrant streets filled with open stores.

Find more at the Etsy Shop.

And watch the nice Making Of videos at Instagram @janicemacleodauthor.

I spent about two years fretting about making videos. Then about an hour doing it. So it takes about two years and an hour for me.

I've also had some requests by people who have great taste in storefronts.

There are some beauties out there.

If you have requests or just know of fantastic storefronts, let me know in the comments. Now back to painting and butterfly watch.