Summer

I always have wonderful things that pop into my head throughout my day that I think will translate into a blog post. But, then I find some time to sit and type up a post and all those beautifully articulated thoughts are gone. Wah wah. Someday maybe I'll find myself more of a writer. For now I'll have to settle for a brief post with a few pictures, nothing fancy. Here it goes.

Pictures from our yard and garden progress.

The mulberry tree is finished dropping berries and a couple young robins finished off the last mulberries still clinging to the tree this week.

Lots of squash blossoms after an unexpectedly rainy week. We could not be more grateful for summer rain in a time of drought in the desert!

Wild sunflowers in the alley are in full bloom now.

We didn't plant but a few green bean plants, so we only ate a handful of green beans from our garden and many more green beans from the weekly farmers market instead.

Blue Dream cannabis plant is doing well in its blue self-irrigating tub.

Tiny baby watermelons have emerged on the vine!

I only bothered harvesting one head of lettuce and I think we really only got 3 pea pods. Vegetable gardening has proven to be a new challenge. I am noticing that failure is a good way for me to learn, so I will take it all in stride and offer gratitude for my failures...lessons learned :o)

Lila went for a haircut and is wearing her hair in an above-the-shoulder bob for the season.

My sewing machine seemed to beckon me to dust it off. I made Lila a pair of shorts from a free pattern I found online. The cotton gingham check was on sale for a bargain at Walmart, so it seemed just the fabric to work with to get my sewing skills brushed up and improved. (As a side note, as an avid DIY-er, YouTube is the best resource for sewing videos--I have been watching many!)

I picked up a free adirondak chair (modified with a snowboard for the chair back) from Craigs List. I upcycled 2 pairs of old colored denim into a seat cover and arm covers with my sewing machine.

Walter got in on the sewing fun and whipped up a Minecraft creeper. He found the pattern in a library book and he used a combo of machine and hand sewing to make his creeper.

Darren's aunt picked up 30 18-pound boxes of peaches from a local farm that donates their seconds. We happily took one box and I made some peach jam and froze some of the peaches as well. It was my first time water-bath canning and it was an adventure! I broke one jar in the water bath, but other than that it all seemed to turn out well. I didn't mind the chore of canning, as it was pleasant enough work and the rewards are delicious! We also made peach baked oatmeal and peach cobbler :o)

Other random pictures include a view from a recent bike ride to the river where I spied a great blue heron; one of the many western swallowtail butterflies we see around town; park time with Darren's cousins kids; a double rainbow in the Walmart parking lot, and discovering a new restaurant a few blocks from our house on the university campus (roof top dining--how novel!)

The kids are out having their last day of cousin time with their cousin that is visiting for the month from Texas, but I notice I have not taken even one picture of the three of them together this whole month. It's hard to believe how fast the summer is flying by!

One last mention, is this wonderful book I'm currently reading. I am an avid reader of non-fiction, and psychology is a favorite genre of mine to read. This book falls under the philosophy category, but is written by the incredible clinical psychologist and professor, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. It is just the right book for me at this moment. So much of what he writes about in here are things that Darren and I have been discussing amongst ourselves the past several months. His discussions on Genesis in the Bible are so well thought out and similar to Darren's interpretations.

I am truly so impressed with Peterson's boldness and thorough analysis of life. I've also been listening to his lectures on the Bible on YouTube and some of his recent podcasts. Wow, this guy is really articulate, so well read, and he's thought through so many big ideas. It is a really mind-expanding thing to listen to him or read his books.

By the way, I couldn't help myself and I started reading the above pictured book by reading the last chapter first. The last chapter is titled: Rule 12 / Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. If you know how I live my life in Colorado, then you'll know that Peterson's Rule 12 is a rule I joyously live by! Anyway, I could say much more about this book, but I won't. If you do happen to find yourself reading it, then give me a call and we can discuss it at length ;o)