Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

I’ve seen more Eastern Swallowtails in the past few days than I have in 3 years! I can see this giant thistle from my chair in the den, so I’ve been watching a lovely little show.

We finally got our deductions off to our tax preparer. But not until late yesterday afternoon. I’m so relieved that it’s DONE.

Mowing is on the docket for today. I just have to figure out what section of the property I want to tackle. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, which means I have to get out there today.

We watched Out of Africa  on TCM last night. I saw it when it first arrived in theaters and have seen many clips from it since, but not the entire movie. Don, surprisingly, had never seen it. Oh my heavens, it is so beautiful, so impeccably made. Sydney Pollack was one of my favorite directors. It is sweeping, majestic, old-fashioned in the best possible way, a story beautifully acted and realized. I can’t stop thinking about it today. And John Barry’s score is one of the most beautiful ever written for films.

I confess, whenever I hear it, it makes me cry. Don can’t stop talking about it today. What a glorious movie it is!

The sky was full of clouds like this the other day.  I was completely fascinated.

My pretty entrance hall.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Monday morning. (I took these photos yesterday.) I’d love to say I’ve been sitting out on the porch but it’s been way too hot and humid. I run outside to take pictures, to water the plants, to refill the birdbath…and then I scurry back inside the house. This really has been a summer of mostly terrible weather, and I find myself looking forward to fall. Though the gardens are so beautiful right now, I’m determined to stay in the moment so I can really appreciate the beauty around me.

I mowed the entire front lawn on Saturday morning while Don was playing a gig. I had to take a half hour break in the middle of mowing. It was so hot and humid that it took me a day to recover. But rain was coming and the lawn was quite long, so it had to be done. Meanwhile, Don was playing outdoors in this awful humidity, so both of us could barely move by the afternoon.

And I finally started work on the deductions yesterday. I’m quite proud of myself. Don will do his usual thing which is to listen to me remind him about them every day this week until he does them at the last minute.

No work on the dollhouse so far – way too hot upstairs.

I think the weather will improve toward the end of this week.

And the giant (over 7 ft tall) thistle is blooming!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.