That gorgeous July sky is straight ahead

And just like that, we are closing out the month of June! I am so shocked that it has come and gone already. We've barely breathed this month, and July is going to be even busier. I'm really hoping that by August, the big project at our house will be finished, and we can get back to some normalcy!

My July sky is nearly upon us. Nowhere in the world does a blue sky better than Upper East Tennessee in the months of October, July and January. The hue of blue in October and July seems almost unnatural/made up, yet, ironically, when you look up, you know that no human mind could ever have come up with the color of the sky during those months. January is a bit different, but the thinner, icy blue during that month is stunning in its own way.

We've been spending every evening outside with Bunny and her hoppers. They've been loving it. With summer officially upon us, we've brought out the fans to aim on us as we sit outside. Helps keep us cooler, of course, but I actually have them directed right on us in an effort to make sure that the mosquitoes and other bugs are kept at bay. It works pretty well, and so far, I'm not terribly chewed up with bites, which is a bonus. As you can see, Bunny and Trudy also enjoy the fans!

Aaaand here's lil' guy, TC. See what he's found? My dish towel basket! He's decided that it's comfy and a great place to relax and contemplate life. See those eyes? Absolutely beautiful. I look at him, and I could eat him whole. He is so very, very precious to me. No, he didn't get fussed at. He's still a baby just doing baby things. I washed the towels and life moved on. 

We do not have the pumpkins in yet, not sure if that's going to happen this year. It will be a first in well over a decade, but that's okay. So many people thought that 2020 was terrible, but I have found 2021 to be way more of a challenge than 2020 ever was. 2021 has just been weird weather-wise, and that feeling of being out of sorts seems to hover for me. While I can't explain it, I try not to dwell on it, either. I just make whatever necessary adjustments need made, and I push through to the next thing. I don't think of it as drudgery. It's just part of being a grown-up and taking responsibility for my life, even on the days when I don't feel like participating. 

The gardens are getting beautiful and lush. Going to, hopefully, post several pictures over the weekend. So far, the Fourth of July weather looks beautiful -  84 with low humidity. I have to get by our local bakery for an apple pie. They'll get gone quickly, and they are closed on Sunday. I'm thinking we'll grab a pie on Friday. It'll keep just fine until Sunday. If we wait until Saturday to get one, they'll be all gone! Gotta have apple pie for the Fourth.

Today is hot, 88, but the humidity is moderate, and there will be a breeze. Tomorrow is cooler and brings us thunderstorms followed by a cooling off into the 70s for a couple of days. Heaven! I do like a warm day as I get older. Stepping out into warm air after being in air conditioning is so nice. I appreciate and am grateful for A/C, but sometimes, it makes my bones ache. A sunny warm up feels SO comforting. 

So our strange, weird year is rolling right along. Summer brings with it all kinds of things to love and enjoy, and I'm grateful it's here. I used to live for autumn, but I have come to realize this year that summer is my new jam. Never, ever thought I'd say that. Tomorrow will be a day to celebrate with either a Frosty Blue Cream Soda or a Sonic drink with tots, a stroll through the gardens, and just a day in general to be grateful for the beginning of the second half of the year. At some point this weekend, we'll follow our habit of pulling closed our blinds and curtains against the heat and popping some corn to go with a scary movie. Sheer, simple bliss and, oh, so relaxing.

Blessings and love to you. I sincerely hope that your weather is as beautiful as ours, and that your garden patches are blossoming and happy and the yield of your veggies is over the top so you have extra for sharing! Don't forget to celebrate the "new half year" tomorrow with something you love!

What will NOT be will NOT be . . . .

Things are SO different this year. The growing season has been less than stellar, thanks to (I know I keep harping on this) the late-April hard freezes and the two-week hot spell we hit right after the freezes. This year, due to that nasty cold snap, there are no baby apples, no baby pears, no cherries. Instead, those trees have already gone somewhat dormant, and they appear to be resigned to waiting for next year to do their jobs. It looks like we may have lost one of the apple trees, thanks to that nasty April spell. Breaks my heart, it really does.

The garden is starting to yield, and we do have grapes and blackberries this year, which is surprising. The onions have grown really well, and we are starting to see tomatoes. I threw in a pretty yellow rose and a Bunny snap, as well, for fun. I never get tired of flowers or rescue kitties. 

The summer solstice occurs late tonight. This is officially the longest day of the year. Funny how we start losing daylight as the days gradually grow shorter. We don't really notice it because it's in tiny increments, but then, suddenly, at some point, we realized that we had to turn on our lamps a bit sooner in the evenings and find a sweater to take out the dog. I'm not ready for that. I used to love autumn, but now, I'd prefer summer to roll on a bit longer.

Yesterday was nearly perfect, with low humidity, 83 degrees, and a good breeze up until mid-evening. We had vegan bacon, Vidalia sweet onion and Grainger county tomato sandwiches with Dukes mayo for lunch. It was the perfect accompaniment to the weather yesterday, and I never tire of that kind of a sandwich. We should have our very own tomatoes soon, and I'm so looking forward to that. Soil make s a difference, and I can honestly say that we are blessed with great soil out our way. The exceptions are radishes and green peppers. They look beautiful when we grow them, but the radishes are way too hot, and the green peppers have the consistency of thin, snappy wood. YUCK. Everything else, however, grows beautifully. 

I see that we warm up for the next couple of days, then the high on Tuesday is only 70. Here's hoping that our summer doesn't get miserably hot. I have learned to love the 80s, but anything higher than that does tend to make me heat sick. We still don't have our pumpkin patch in the ground, and I'm debating on whether or not to even bother this year. I've tried to analyze what kind of time we have these days, which is not a lot. Our home project is picking up steam (that's a good thing), and will absorb us for a few weeks once the major part is done. I'm guessing that by early fall, we'll be finished, but that's several weeks away. So, we'll see about the pumpkin patch. This may be the year to skip.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, and peace and love those who miss their fathers. Our yard and gardens are beautiful in the summer, thanks to the efforts of my dad. It's a ton of work and, while he enjoys it, the truth is that we are the beneficiaries of those efforts. Here's hoping summer ushers in some truly lovely things. It's time to check out the front porch a bit more in the morning hours!

 

Stuff needs haircuts!

When we get towards the month of July in these parts, lots of things start looking super hairy, like they desperately need a barber. As you can see in the shots below, the butterfly bush, knockout roses and herb gardens are starting to look like they need hair appointments! Sure, they're gorgeous when they're overly-full and lush and way too big, but that's not good, really. These types of bushes need trimmed to ensure that they don't grow too large. With the gusts of wind that we get out here, anything overly large will snap in a heartbeat. The herb garden doesn't fall under the "snapping under duress (wind)" category, but it needs tidied up, as well. I'm not really complaining, though, because as wild as these all look, they're really beautiful. They'll get trimmed soon enough!

Today's indulging moment is Baby Oscar. Lookin' like road kill on the bed, but as you can see, his peepers are on me, watching me take his picture. He really can't be bothered to protest, so I take the shot, then get on the bed with him and rub that soft belly. He is so stinking cute. (I love my blanket, a birthday gift from my husband this year . . . . ).

The weather for the next three days is an absolute gift! Low humidity with upper 70s during the day, and the 50s and low 60s at night. Yes! Right now, it's mid-60s with low humidity and the absolute nicest breeze. My July sky is just around the corner, which is hard to believe. We have a sizable home project going on, and it's just dragging because of recent rain delays for the outdoor part to be done. I'm hoping that before the week is out, we have the next phase completed, which means the third phase is about two weeks out. If nothing else, I've learned patience and that you really, really cannot control weather!

No tomatoes yet, but the plants are looking good, and I'm hoping that by the first week in July, we have some nice, plump maters to celebrate the Fourth. The colder, longer spring then the two weeks of unusually hot weather really messed with the garden, so we'll see how it goes. Pumpkins go in soon, something that always marks a turn in time for me. I know that I've mentioned previously how I'm slowly, but surely, becoming a summer girl. I still love autumn, but over the course of time, I've definitely transitioned to a deeper love for the summer months. I still hate the humidity and bugs, but the rest of it is just wonderful.

Been dragging my eyes over a lot of New England style lobster and shrimp rolls. Drool-worthy, for sure, and something I have not had in absolute ages. I may have to make my own version, shrimp-scampi-ish, and use French rolls. Shrimp scampi takes a lot of butter and garlic, but so worth it every now and then. Stuff those shrimp into a roll, top it with the run-off butter and baked garlic and wow! That is divine. Need slaw or potato salad on the side and sliced tomato. That's summer on a plate.

I haven't had a frosty blue cream soda yet, but we did go to Pelican Snoballs for a blue raspberry treat! SO good. They have a menu of over 100 flavors, including some crazy ones like dill pickle! I want to try their chocolate marshmallow one soon, but I felt like summer needed ushered in with a traditional flavor, and anything in blue is pretty for the season! They are only open seasonally, so you have to get your fix during certain months of the year. Also, they'll add cream to any order, so you really can have a cream cherry soda snoball, etc. They have cake flavors, as well, such as red velvet cake, carrot cake . . the menu is huge. Between that and Sonic, summer flavors are more than covered.

I'm so looking forward to our upcoming weather. Hope it's beautiful where you are, as well, and that today is good to you. Sending light and love.

 

Nearly time for the funnel cake and the county fair

Last year when our county fair was canceled, I was really bummed. I completely understood why it was canceled, and - truth be told - had they not canceled it, since we were heavy in the throes of Covid, I probably would not have gone, anyway. Now, here we are, and county fair time is nearly here again! Where did those weeks and months go??!

This year's fair dates are July 26-31st. I'm hoping to head over on one of the dates right as the gates open to see the arts and craft exhibits, the garden growing exhibits, explore the booths, and then eat a funnel cake. I won't be more than four hours, most likely. It's not a huge fair, but it's very much enjoyable. We don't generally stay late enough to go on rides, although I do think a lit-up fairway at night is quite nice. We don't bother with the contests, derbies, pageants or shows. That's where the crowds really flourish, so we'll stay away from those events. On that note, the other factor for going this year is the standing of the variant from India that is now running rampant in the UK. If it's here by July and starting to take off, we'll skip the tradition of the county fair for another year. 

Remember my previous posts about trains in the early a.m. in the south? Here she is! We live near the Nolichucky River, and I have to a cross a bridge to get to work. They are currently working on the bridge and traffic is one-lane now on that road, so things get backed up terribly on our regular route to town. I often go the longer way, which at times due to the bridge work, proves to be the shorter route. The railroad tracks are part of the long route, and I happened to get caught by the train last week. It was nice to actually see the train and say "hi" again. It'd been a while since I'd driven that way, and I love a train. Had lots and lots of boxcars, so that gave me a few minutes of downtime, too, that just let me kind of breathe.

The weekend is upon us, and I couldn't be happier. We get a couple of days of time for ourselves that we get to arrange as we see fit (well, except for curveballs that get thrown at us, always a curveball, isn't there?). We are fantastically soggy, and the humidity has lingered for days on end now. Everything feels slightly damp all the time, and when you go outside, it's like taking an instant shower. But still! It's the weekend, and that's something to look forward to.

The gardens! It's been a really funky growing season due to the unseasonably cold and very long spring that we had. Then, it turned really hot for two weeks, and I think the gardens all thought it was the end of summer, which nudged things to slow down growing! Now here we are, back to our normal, expected temperatures and precipitation for the time of year, and the garden has picked up steam again. It's been plumb crazy. But the large flower gardens are popping to life, and I hope to see a few early blooms by the end of this month. 

More thunderstorms today and tomorrow, then I'm hoping we catch a break on Sunday. I'd like to get outside a bit, if possible. Speaking of going outside, look at my girls, aren't they precious? Due to weather and an illness they all had for a couple weeks, it's been a while since they've gotten to go out and play in the fenced-in area. I have my fingers crossed for that on Sunday if it's dried out enough. They'll be thrilled!

I've been craving butter swim biscuits and may have to make some this weekend. Nothing like them good and hot out of the oven slathered in a glob of strawberry jam and butter or heavily buttered and drizzled with honey. They're baked in a bunch of butter already, so they don't really even need to be buttered when you eat them, but I do, anyway. Just puts them over the top.

Weekend plans are fluid at this point. Too much to get done, so I'll prioritize on Saturday morning and see how far we get! Thunderstorms on Saturday, so that may be a good time to work on laundry and clean out some drawers while watching a movie. Whatever your plans, I hope you have a fantastic weekend, and that time slows down just a bit for all of us so that Monday doesn't roll around too quickly!

It's been weird, y'all

First up, the knock-out rose bush is desperate for some trimming. Not the best picture, but throwing it in here to remind me to have my dad trim it back significantly this coming autumn. It needs a haircut!

I'm not sure what to say about this year's growing season. The one-word-fits-all scenario would be "weird." But it goes beyond weird. We had a REALLY cool/cold, long spring, and our last frosts (not frost but frosts) were in very late April. Apple trees, cherry trees, peonies, etc., were all in bloom or budding out at the time of those three hard frosts. Sadly, those cold nights of 27 degrees nipped the buds. We'll get no apples or cherries this year, and we only got the pleasure of seeing three peony blooms open. This effect will stay with us, as later in this year, there will be no apples or cherries to enjoy. 

At the end of last year, I wrote a post that cautioned people from thinking that the magical turn of the calendar to a new year would make everything from 2020 feel better or go away. While 2020 was a pain in the butt, I never, personally, hated it like so many people. Our growing season in 2020 was phenomenal, and I would gladly take that back over this year's. Ah, well. A year is a year, isn't it? We get what we get, and our reactions and responses to whatever comes along are what matter. The actual year that we are in doesn't really even affect anything. It's just a way to measure time.

I have a new toy in the yard! It is a cold hardy dwarf limelight hydrangea! These blooms in summer are cone-shaped and pale green. In autumn, the blooms tinge blue and pink without having to do anything to the soil! I'm going to have fun watching this one over time. Here he is, freshly planted, and below that picture, you can see from the tag what the autumn blooms will look like. I'm excited about this one, and I really hope it does well. We don't generally have luck with hydrangeas in our yard, but this is supposed to be very hardy and easy to grow in the shade (it's been planted under a large tree). Time will tell!

While there's not a lot new my way, time is flying, always an indicator that you're a bit too busy. I had to share this picture of our boys.  This cracks me up. You have to wonder what they're thinking, just lying there, eyes open, looking contemplative. Probably thinking about getting up to go get a snack. They are cats, after all, and they are big cats, at that. 

I need to make a gallon of berry tea, and there are biscuits in the kitchen that are not going to eat themselves, so I need to grab the vegan sausage and honey and get to work on those, ha ha. I do love a honey biscuit with vegan sausage. Rain later today, so once I get meal planning and prep out of the way, I'm hoping to watch the next installment of The Conjuring (anyone else lost count of how many of these have been made?). It's getting good reviews, and I do love scary movies in the summer! 

I have no ideas for a meal plan this week. I'm thinking it might involve meals that don't require that we go to the grocery store! That is not a chore I relish, which is odd coming from a foodie. I think lunches are covered. I'm going to make tuna salad and egg salad for sandwiches. We also have more Grainger County tomatoes, so tomato and vidalia onion sandwiches will be on the menu, as well. I'm stuck on dinners, but I know there's enough in the fridge and cabinets to get us through the week, so maybe I can avoid the store!

Blessed Sunday to you. Hope your biscuits are buttered and honeyed and go down smoothly! We are very nearly halfway through the year. Be bold and keep going!!