Oh July...

July is quickly slipping away from me. Lately, I can scarcely bring myself inside, out of the garden. Making dinner, or just eating in general, has become a low priority as I'd rather be outside. These were some spent flowers I deadheaded from a pink Pincushion perennial I just bought. Even spent, I think they are pretty little specimens though. You see, here in my northern neck of the woods, things are really just starting to come into their own. Combine our location with a cooler Summer and that makes for some slow growing.

This Spring, Hub said he heard that some places in the U.S. were not going to get Summer this year. I thought, Not get Summer? That's like saying there won't be Christmas this year! I thought he was teasing... But rarely has it been warm enough to wear shorts. Personally, I don't really like shorts (on me), so actually that's just fine. And we've had some really beautiful sunny weather. Just not very much hot weather. But despite that, my Chamomile planted from seed months ago finally decided to bloom!

And a few lovely blueberries are just beginning to ripen. Berries remind me of an ongoing mental checklist of sorts of little traditions and other things that I like to accomplish each Summer...I guess to feel like I've had a well-rounded Summer or something? But I often think in "lists" so this is nothing new. A few things on my mental "Summer To Do" list involve berries...go strawberry picking, make strawberry jam, get blueberries from the same guy at the Farmer's Market as last year, pick wild raspberries along the creek... Some other "to do's" include spending time at the cabin, biking along the North Shore, going to the malt shop, eating outside as often as possible, growing basil and making a few batches of basil pesto, learning to golf, etc etc...

Is this making you insane yet? It's making me a bit insane too. Like when I've read one too many blogs and suddenly I end up feeling overwhelmed and under-productive. It's just not healthy for me. So I guess I'm okay with soaking up what precious warm weather we've had so far and wait, no...hope, that Summer does come to my town this year. At least the Bluebells are thriving. A hopeful sign. I know there's still a lot of time left...so no need to be so dramatic, right?

Oh look! An afternoon thunderstorm threatened to roll through, right in the midst of my gardening...forcing me to come inside...to share some random thoughts and a few of my flowers with you.