10 Things I Love About Summer

In No Particular Order

1.  Fresh vegetables from the garden. 

2. Geraniums on my back stoop.

 3. Flip flops and shorts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Our pool. It's where I most often want to be. I'm a water baby. A fish in water. If I get in, I find it hard to get out. 

5. Being out in the sunshine and fresh air.

6. The smell of the air after a summer rain shower.

7. Wildflowers.

 8. Grass between my toes.

9. The Beach (my brother got this shot on his morning ride up the coast on his Harley).

10.  Another gorgeous day (I say that in all honesty and in hopes that the weather gods hear me and get rid of the rain that supposed to be heading out way in time for the weekend).

And you? What are some of your favorite things about summer?

Have a great Wednesday and enjoy the day.

Ciao for now,

Almost Silent Sunday

If You Need Me

This is where you will find me.  11am and it's already mid 90s. I think we'll hit 100 again today. No other place to be.

Have a great Sunday. See ya on the flip side,

Weekend Wrap Up

The Back 40

As predicted, we spent the entire weekend working in the yard. We finished planting the vegetable garden. Finally. We raked and shoveled and hauled our butts off. We may have been able to finish the weedwhacking had the weedwhackers been more cooperative. We finally gave up when one was on the charger and the other (yes, the other) ran out of string.

That was the end of the day yesterday. We were toast.

I hit the pool while Gar chilled on the back steps.  He started to go downhill and now officially has a summer cold.  Bummer.

Here's a little peek at our weekend.

Hope you enjoyed your weekends. You guys had lots of different stuff going on from junking and laundry, to organizing and skateboard parks. Throw in our yardwork and I'd say we all accomplished quite a bit this weekend. Plans for the week are: get the work on my desk done so I can take three days off and enjoy them thoroughly; 4th of July groceries; finish weedwhacking (ha!); a tiny bit more yardwork; maybe burgers on the grill tonight. What about you?

To all my friends north of the border, I hope you enjoyed a fabulous Canada Day!

Ciao for now,

 

A MidSummer's Break

We're in the midst of heatwave here. Yesterday, the thermometer reach 100F in the shade by noon. By the time the sun came around, it reached 110F. Hour and a half later, it was reaching toward 120F.   Of course, that was with direct sunlight on it. Regardless, it was hot.

It would have been unbearable if it hadn't been for the pool.  Bookclub Martha (really Carey) stopped by for a little dip once the shade had come around.

Don't ask why we have the noodles framing our faces. Let's just say it was the heat getting to us.

The swimming continued for hours to come, when Gerry and Sandee, two of the neighborhoodlums came over to cool off. I'm not sure how cool we got because the pool was like a sauna, but it still felt good.

Another hot one today and I'm about to do another round of watering the gardens. I thought it would be a good time for a winter interlude for your cooling pleasure.

Doesn't look nearly as fun covered in snow, does it?

The forsythia giving in to the weight of the snow.

Lucan leaping through the snow in the woods out back.

 Lucan leaping through the snow in the field across the street.

Currently, there is no leaping going on. A lot of panting, but no leaping.

Have a great Saturday where you are!

Tornado Alley..........ok, it's just my office

My office.......literally my 'little corner of the world'.......was out of control yesterday. Now I can be messy when I work, but it was looking even beyond my usual messy workplace.

Seriously. A mess. Papers everywhere. Stacks of who knows what. Wires dangling from behind my desk. Drawers open. Need I say more?

The saving grace was .......Can we talk?.........I got such a great deal yard sale-ing last weekend. I found a super duper plastic-yet-sturdy file cabinet on wheels. I just needed to take the time to move things from the box on the floor (to the left of my desk), to the new 'Caddie Boy'. That way, instead of dragging the box out of the corner when I need to get into a file, I can ROLL the file cabinet out. It rolls SO easily.

So I started to clean and organize.

I know, it doesn't look so hot in progress.

It is better, but still - I hate those obnoxious wires.

Aha, an idea..............I'll hang one of gram grams old table cloths to hide them!

No unsightly wires!!!!

The Caddie Boy fit like it was made for the space!!! Woohoo!

It now holds all the files that were shoved into the black box which was half the size.  And..........

It has a secret drawer up top that now holds my Bamboo computer pencil and pad. This makes me happy because it used to sit on top of the hard drive and I was always worried I was going to kick it off while crossing my legs.

There's more to do, but it is at least looking more organized.  I moved the 'black box' to the right of my desk and that now holds my etsy stuff.

Yes, that is one blank and boring wall in front of me. And not too much to the side either. The one in front is going to hold some shelves. I hemmed and hawed about that, since my pantry shelves are open, did I want more open shelving. I decided that was the easiest solution, and that you wouldn't really see it from the rest of the living room (my office is in the far corner) because the big screen TV will hide it. Also, Gar has these awesome industrial brackets downstairs that are just looking for something to do.

As far as the wall to the side, I'm planning on coming up with some display system for my artwork and things that inspire me when I'm creating.  Anything would be better than my current system.

Do you have a display system that works? Bulletin board? Plate rail? I'm thinking some sort of horizontal 'clothes line of sorts' (twine perhaps?) at different levels, and that I can hang artwork and inspiration off of with clothes pins or office clips.

Any suggestions welcome.

Hotter than Hades here. Can't complain. I'm inside with the hound and there is AC running. Gar, however, is right in the thick of it building a foundation, in the heat, with no shade. Oy. Vay. I'm feeling for him.

Have a wonderful Friday in your little corner of the world. I'm off to soak everything outside so it can survive the heat of the day. Did the same thing yesterday morning and had to do another round in afternoon because everything was wilted already. 

I know when I step out, it's going to be like walking into an oven. The thermometer is in the shade and it's already over 90 at 10 a.m. Phew.

Have I told you lately that I love my pool?

A Fish In Water

Olympic Gold Medalist-To-Be

Our friend Charlie (remember, he brought the big steel plate over for the 4th) called yesterday to see if the pool was open, which of course it was and is. Did I say it's hot? His granddaughter Makenna was supposed to go to a friend's to swim in her pool, but the play date got cancelled. Once she hopped in, I don't think it mattered too much anymore.

She insisted on showing us her 'Big Jump'.

Then her colorful nails.

Then her toothy grin (before she loses those pearly whites).

While Makenna was swimming about the pool, Lucan was rolling about the lawn. Cracks me up when dogs do that.

Plus I like the noises they make when they do it. It's quite a routine.

Then it was time for Makenna to dry off and chill with 'Bumpa' for awhile.  You've gotta love the look.

Later, That Same Day (cue dramatic old movie music)



I went to check on my Mom at the end of the day. She had cataract surgery in the morning. All went very well. Of course she did have a clear dome over her eye, giving her a kind of Cyborg effect, but other than that she looked great. Right Mom? (She's lurking. Hasn't quite figured out how to post comments yet.)

Got to see my great niece Sophia too......aka Punky Brewster. She's not always so sure of everyone and she lets you know it.

Giving me the Sophia scowl.  Hmmmm, who does this remind me of......as if I didn't know.......my niece Cait!

Uh oh, Daddy got her to crack a smile! Now put some music on and she will not be able to do anything but give you a little Sophia Shimmy. Unstoppable on the dance floor.

It's a Tropical Heatwave

We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave........another hot one today. Supposed to reach high 90s and humid! Remind me of this when I'm posting the 'latest snow' pictures this winter.  Just watered the veg and the flowers so they didn't croak.

Love the shot of this Admiral Nelson lily I got from my sister in law Kelly. Didn't have to make one adjustment in Photoshop.

Guess it's not hard to take a good photograph of lilies. Gorgeous color.

On the way to the other garden, I spied the raspberries. Unlike our neighbors, ours are a little slow and not so prolific this year. That's OK, as I mentioned, the neighbors haven't had this problem. Joanie brought us over a pint last night. Freezing for future use. Joanie's Freezing Berries Tip: place in one layer on plate or cookie sheet in freezer, let freeze, then put in freezer bag and back in freezer. That way they don't freeze in one big clump.

The Queen Anne's Lace is in bloom.

This flower is honkin'! I'm talking BIG.

Played 'catch the stick' with Lucan before it was too roasting. OK, 'catch the branch', which he then thought he was bringing inside. He really does give me a laugh  every day. I had to wrestle it out of his mouth.

Hope the sun is shining on you today. Have a great Thursday in your corner of the world.

A Sofa, Louis & Rachael

Etsy, for those of you who don't know, is an online marketplace for handmade/designed goods, vintage, and supplies for making handmade goods. Etsy is, quite frankly, chock full of inspiration.  I've designed note cards inspired by Pamela Angus' stained glass. I drew a sofa that my friend Susie had in her shop. I coveted that sofa. When Susie saw the drawing of the sofa she said "How on earth did you do that?" I said with a wink, "I drew it."  I know, very smarmy. Let's get more specific, though I do have  drawing pad and pencils, you will most often find me working on my computer. Illustrator is my program of choice. I drew her sofa in Illustrator, in part with my mouse and in part with my Bamboo computer pencil. 

I really liked the simple line drawing style that it embodies.  Susie liked it too. Which got me to thinking, maybe others would like it. I spring boarded from there. Perhaps a Louis XI chair?

Then I found some more inspiration on Decor8 in their feature on neon bright colors. I transformed the classic line drawing of the Louis XV chair with bright colors and and patterns (one of my paper designs to be exact).  This might be the piece my sister Di has been waiting for to go in her guest room with her 'happy' color comforter.

I had fun with inspiration and creation yesterday. I needed some 'just create' time big-time-a-rooney. It made my day.

Rachael Ray

Now, I like Rachael Ray, though her show and cutesy words can get a little much for me at times. I bought her magazine a couple years ago from the girl next door who was raising money for girl scouts. I wouldn't consider Rachael a 'chef' so to speak, but she doesn't consider herself one either.  That said, I could do without the sections that feature the products RR loves or can't live without. Doesn't mean that much to me. But I continue to get this magazine each year from the neighborhood girl scout because I like her recipes. She had a couple of grilled pizza recipes in this month and having not tried grilling pizza before, I thought it was about time.  I didn't stick to her recipe, just the general idea.

Got pizza dough from the store (shout out to my bil Niall who is shaking his head as he reads this.......he makes his own dough). Easy. Made two rounds. Grilled up some of the Lebanese squash we got at Farmers Market this weekend.  Grilled the pizza dough on a cookie sheet with some greased foil. Flipped it and grilled longer. Brought it all in to top it off. One we topped with sauce, the grilled squash, prosciutto and mozz. The second we topped with the rest of the grilled squash, baby bella shrooms, yes- more prosciutto (what can I say, we love the stuff and it still left me some for the cantaloupe this week), and mozz.  Brought back out to the grill, but cheese wasn't melting good so popped under the broiler. Mighty fine meal.

Now, it looks like there is more cheese on the pizza then there really was. What really shined was the squash and prosciutto. We will definitely do that again.

Another hot day here. Our friend Charlie just stopped by with his granddaughter Makennna. She needed some pool time. Pictures tomorrow.

Proof of the heat. One sprawled out, zonked dog. (yes, that's a fur ball behind him).

Forecast for tomorrow..........hotter. Good thing my parents have an air conditioner they're not using. Well, my father would be, but Mom isn't big on them. I'm not either to be honest, but the hot-dog above will be very happy and will breathe a bit easier the next few days.

Wow, Wednesday already! Hope it's great in your corner of the world.