In summertime, when the weather is hot, you can reach right up and touch the sky. — Mungo Jerry
Oh, July. I will not miss your incredibly hot, dry days. July was one very long run on day… an endless repeat of heat and humidity. I almost bailed on this look back post because, well, on month four of Covid-19-stay-at-home there were not a lot of “new” or “expanding my world” days. But Mary’s post convinced me otherwise. Perhaps a celebration of “all things at home” is exactly what I need to do!
Something new
The best new thing was the fried green beans for happy hour on the 23rd. After doing a little research, I settled on this recipe. Yes, it was a little work, but it was so worth it. The batter was light and crispy and the dip was excellent. (I subbed about a half teaspoon of tabasco sauce for the wasabi powder) If you have an abundance of beans and want to try something different, I highly recommend trying Almost Famous Green Bean Fries!
Best “Oh, Wow” moment/s
The early hours in the garden were absolutely my favorite times. Though most mornings started in the upper 70’s temperature wise, it was much better than the upper 90’s of the afternoons! I savored those moments outdoors because the remainder of the day was spent hibernating inside sitting in the air conditioning!
What I could have done better
I did manage to finish one project in July, but there are so many “lingering” projects that should be getting some attention! Instead, I spent lots of time in the tranquility of Knitlandia (my AC island). Here is to an August with less “checking out” time and more focused making!
The best part of the month
Hands down, the best part of the month were my grandchildren (especially Vivi’s birthday on the 21st) and Sherman, who continues to be the best pandemic companion…ever!
Finally, I am thankful for this house – which is not the worst place to stay! And how can forget the joy of my local library, who provides an endless stream of books to while away the Pandemic hours with! (and all those Pandemic Happy Hours!)
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Best Part of the Month: Realizing that there was more sunshine than it felt like. January is long, and it felt so sunless and seeing that there were more pockets of sunshine than I remembered brought a smile to my face! Also, to celebrate the gradually lengthening days was something very worthwhile!
Something New: Finding a faith home after struggling and avoiding for far too long.
Best “Oh, Wow” Moment/s: Settling into feeling uncomfortable, unsettled, and out of place…and discovering peace there and all kinds of room for growth!
What I did Well and What I can do Better: I found joy in the small things. I nourished my body with healthy choices (most of the time) and I spent more time meditating. These were all the very best parts of the month. And, those things that I could do better? I need to spend more time stepping outside of my comfort zone and I need to push myself to do that more.
I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June. — L.M. Montgomery
I think my photos last month show exactly what it might be like were every month June! And, yes please – can I get this on endless repeat?
It was a month of perpetual flowers, interesting skies, first fruits, and some darned good cocktails! Oh, and countless hours of outside time!
Why even the rainstorms were beautiful! And, though I was not happy to see it happen – that first super hot day was pleasantly delayed until month end. I know that hot days are necessary to make those tomatoes grow!
The videos also were so fun this month – and so much Sherman! My favorite is him barking at the Chantix Turkey. Yep, he hates him and he barks at him every time the commercial is on!
I debated about doing this post, since I kicked May to the curb last week, but then I looked at all the images and the video from last month and realized that there were so many good moments to remember and rejoice over!
So, let’s do a bit of rejoicing shall we?
For a month that felt so darned rainy, there were lots of blue-sky photos! May brings such dramatic light changes – it is the month that I really begin to notice the dramatic changes day by day! And so many blooms and bees and birds! It just goes to show that if you take a photo every day – you will be amazed when you look back. There were some “firsts” – first iris, first asparagus, and those magical first poppies of the season! There was not much knitting, but I did manage to finish 2 projects! And, there were oodles of hours working outside in the garden beds and filling what felt like a gazillion containers!
The video was even better this month, I think a few seconds of video every day is just such a fun way to gather bits of the month. There was so much Genevieve (which is my favorite!) I even managed to get the video of a “Northern Michigan Traffic Jam” thanks to the road work crew who were working a couple of days during our stay! There were sunsets, Lake Michigan, birdsong, and all the bees!! Oh!! And there was whipping cream for the first strawberry shortcake of the season! If you look at the photo images, you might think we had a glorious sunny month, but we did have lots of rain!
And, there you have it, my Not-So-Bad-After-All-May!
