Around here, I have shifted into full on summer mode. That means I’m mostly indoors, eating sugar free popsicles and reading books. The outdoors are miserable around here and I spend a lot of time hoping the electric grid can keep up with everyone’s air conditioning needs. The power has gone out twice in the last three days but neither outage lasted more than two hours. When it happened today, my house didn’t even really heat up because I already had the curtains closed.

Phew!

Around here, Scout is watching me carefully. He doesn’t like when I leave but also seems to worry when I’m home too much.

Around here, my very happiest thing to do is to go to bed early. I take a book, turn on the ceiling fan and play some French instrumental music to aid in relaxing. It’s funny because going to bed early always felt like punishment when I was a kid and now it’s pure luxury.

Around here, these orange lilies are populating the roadsides. Some people call them ditch lilies or tiger lilies. We call them flags. I have never known why we call them that but I do know they are as invasive as they are pretty.

Around here, I’m torn between not heating up the house with the oven and not wasting food. Last night I made a nice veggie quiche using leftover scalloped potatoes as the crust. Odds and ends of leftover broccoli, onions, peppers and mozarella cheese on top perfectly complemented the egg layer.

Around here, I’m hoping that all my summer loving pals are outside in the heat, soaking up the sun’s rays and thoroughly enjoying this heat and humidity which chokes the life out of all us winter/fall people. I don’t begrudge their right to heat, nor do I understand it. I will, however, take umbrage if I hear a peep out of any of them about being hot. Hahaha….ahem…..

Around here, I’m studying the pictures and news out of the west where snowstorms rage during this first full week of summer. What I wouldn’t give to be there now. While I won’t be traveling west, I do have a short adventure planned for next month. I also had a mini adventure this weekend and need to tell you about my visit to the Sherman House in Lancaster.

Around here, I choose to practice gratitude. I’m grateful for central air, for an indoor job that allows me to give my little house panther the life he believes he deserves, for clean drinking water, for plenty of good books to read, and for a life that is much easier than that of many others.

What’s happening in your neck of the woods? What are you grateful for today?