Lantana

I have three kinds of lantana in my butterfly garden. Don't ask me to name them; I'm doing well to know they're lantana.

An almost white one:


A bright yellow one:







And a fabulous multi-color one:




They are perfect for the hot dry conditions of a South Carolina summer. Unlike me, they don't wilt in the afternoon sun.

So, what's blooming in your garden?

Jinx the Cat

Jinx is our "official" outside cat. She showed up about a year and a half ago, around Halloween. There's another cat, a little calico, who's been hanging around some also, but she's just a guest.

Jinx is in charge of keeping snakes and rodents away from the house. So far, she seems to be doing a good job.

Now, if she'll just hold still for a photo.

Canning Season Has Begun

Look what's cooling on my kitchen counter--six jars of strawberry jelly and 19 jars of strawberry jam! (I'm not telling which jars of jam didn't set. To my relatives and friends: you'll know if your Christmas basket includes "Strawberry Ice Cream Topping".)

Canning season begins around here when strawberries are in season. I'll soon move on to blueberries, blackberries, peaches and tomatoes. After that are pears-cubed, pickled and "honeyed", followed by wild muscadines. The season ends with applesauce.

It has a nice rhythm, the music of harvest. I love eating "in season" when fruits and vegetables are at their peak. And, oh, the joy of opening a jar of strawberry jelly in January and dreaming of warm spring days.

Cool.

The pool is finished! And it is looking sooooo tempting on these hot days.

The water temperature has only just gotten above 80 degrees, perfect for swimming. Below 80 and it's too cold for me; above about 87 and it just feels like bath water--yuck!

But right now, as Goldilocks said, "It's just right."

Incredible, Edible Egg

Teaser Tuesday

My current read:

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

"He paused. It was necessary, he felt, to order the mind when one was about to think something profound."

What are you reading?

Graduation

My daughter graduated from high school on Saturday. I'm so grateful for the family and friends who came to wish her well. All of her grandparents have passed away, so she rarely expects a crowd for special occasions. What joy it was to have 15 people there to support her! Thank you all so much.

She, along with several dozen others, was homeschooled for the entire 13 years. As a homeschooler, it's easy to feel that you don't fit, when most other families have made other choices. But gathering with hundreds of people who have made the same decision is so reassuring. We are in the minority, but we aren't alone.

As my daughter says, "I'm unique, just like everyone else." I think my sense of humor has rubbed off on her.