The Gentle Joys of Summer

Our rose bushes are simply bursting with blossoms. These are my particular favorites. It is called, I believe, an Elizabeth Rose. Their scent isn't as strong as some of the others, but the color is extraordinary.

I learned a few years ago to wait to prune back the roses until spring, not in the fall as they die back even more than is cut. It has made an incredible difference in the size of the bushes these last two years. I am keeping our home, and several others, filled with roses. It's so wonderful!

I love having a garden. Some years have been more successful than others. We have a lot of weeds this year, but our herbs and veggies are going strong. Now, to just get to gather some strawberries before the birds do!

I've been livening up our meals with little touches from the garden already. I made up a quick batch of pesto with the basil and a few other things I had on hand substituting raw cashews for the pine nuts as I did not want to take the time to peel all the pine nuts. It's so good spread on fresh bread and adding a touch of cream cheese and fresh tomatoes makes it truly delightful.

Speaking of cream cheese, I love mixing it with just fresh chives, dill, and thyme and serving it on crackers or bread. Even Pumpkin loves it! It's such a lighter and delicious version of something like a Boursin cheese. It tastes so wonderfully fresh.

Dinner tonight will be Greek Chicken, if I get on the ball and get that pita bread rising. I love to serve it with Tajiki and have fresh dill and cucumbers just waiting to be mixed into the plain yogurt. Sprinkled with a bit of feta for some zing-yum! It helps that I grilled a ton of chicken and other meat the other night all at once so that I have meat ready to go in the fridge and freezer.

Boy, I seem to be really focused on food right now! Must be from skipping eating most of yesterday. I seemed to have caught a 24 hour buggy thing, but am feeling great now.

It's been a bit of a roller coaster month for us. It started off with me dashing off to see my Dad when he had his pacemaker installed, to a scare with Pumpkin last week. The poor little guy fell while we were at a friend's house. We spent the afternoon at the doctor's where the x-rays turned out fine. Pumpkin was in a splint for a few days, and refused to walk for a few more, but is now running around just fine. Thank you, Lord! The stress of it all about did this Mommy and Daddy in.

Now, I'm bouncing back from not feeling well and trying to get ready for a visit from my Dad and Stepmom this weekend. They just decided on Monday to come on up. They haven't seen the boys since Christmas, so we are excited to have them coming. Now, to just try and get done all the things I'd like to have done before they arrive. (Yes, Carey and Mom, I know...I know. You really don't need to say anything.)

We are having such a fun time around here, though, in between little jobs to do. The boys are learning to play together so well. It's not without its tears, but is such a joy to see. They really do love one another. Well, I hear little voices up from naps, so I'll sign off now. Hope you are having a lovely week as well.