It just never thrived this summer. Too hot and too dry. Nothing thrived this summer. The heat and drought were tough on everything.
What's there to do but escape into a microcosm, and try to find the macrocosm lurking there? The universe isn't so much like a beanstalk, but more like a Mandelbrot set. At least, that's one idea. Ideas are cheap. Knowledge will cost you.
I'm ready for a change of seasons, in more ways than one.