The hostas just started to bloom. Those little flowers are so delicate. They don’t last long, so I’m going to enjoy them while I can.

We’ve had horrendous humidity the last couple of days. Yesterday was unbearable and today? The heat index will reach 100°. Weather like this really affects my respiratory system. We have yet to turn the A/C on this morning, but we will soon. We had a very early thunderstorm around 5 am. Quite spectacular!

We’ve had the adult male gypsy moths flying around here for a week or so. Did you know that the females (who are white) do not fly? I guess they just hang out waiting to lay eggs. The males – who are a tan/brown – do not eat, but they do fly. And they only live for a week. There are so many of them around here, but they were gentle. We even rescued some who accidentally  got inside. I figure if they only get to live for a week, they deserve to fly as much as they can. In the past couple of days, the numbers have greatly decreased, and it has been about a week since we first saw them.

Ella showing off one of three t-shirts in different colors with this message. Cute as f____. I know some of you don’t use that word, but I sure do. It’s the perfect word to use as an invective because it starts with a fricative (f) and ends with a plosive (k). Also, my mother’s favorite word, sh___t, has the same combination. There’s a reason people like those words. If you were here with me, I’d speak Mom’s word in the way that only she could. I still imitate her!

Anyway, on we go. Hot, hot, hot today so I’ll be staying indoors,

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

The coneflowers are opening and, boy, do they make me happy! It’s my favorite time in the garden because I like a cottage garden look and, to me, coneflowers are a cottage garden. And, since they’re self-seeding, the bang you get for your buck is fabulous.

Thank you so much for your best wishes on our 30th anniversary! We had a lovely day yesterday and we’ve decided that we’re celebrating through the weekend. We want to continue our celebration. We received so many well wishes here on the blog, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. We heard from actors and designers who were at that party, childhood friends, and a host of other friends and acquaintances from our lives in theater and music, my colleagues from the veterinary hospital, former students, and social media friends. All in all, it was very moving.

We had this idea earlier in the year and weren’t sure we would go through with it, but we did. It took a long time.

Then and now:

Don kept this shirt that he happened to purchase on that Fourth of July and he only pulls it out once a year. I kept my sweatshirt because I loved it, eventually using it while painting, as you can see. It’s still my comfort sweatshirt and I wear it when I’m not feeling well. So – both of us had our shirts from 30 years ago.

As best we could, we tried to recreate the look of the original photo, though I have no idea what I was doing with my hand in the original and every time we tried it, it looked like a fist, so I modified the pose. And the slightly shy look I had 30 years ago only served to highlight my double chins, so that got altered quickly.

Goal: lose some weight. I was too skinny in those days and Don prefers me this way; nevertheless, some dieting is in order.

We did all this while shooting a video and then we froze the frames when we found a good shot. Consequently, there was a lot of back and forth between us on the videos. Watching them made us laugh out loud. Boy, we sure are a longtime married couple!

Anyway, we are proud of us. Don had been married twice before and I was deathly afraid of any sort of commitment. Yet, here we are, 30 years later.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

The sky this morning. We had a stormy weekend with a few severe thunderstorm warnings. The weather was, shall we say, unsettled. Today will be rain and storm free, so we’ll finally get a break.

I’ve also done something to my lower right back near my hip. God knows how, because I don’t remember any twinge or warning. So, I’m taking it easy for the next couple of days.

It’s so annoying.

July. God knows what the Supreme Court will come up with today as to the immunity of a President. I’m girding my loins for the decision. But, back to the month change. June seemed to go by rather quickly – I’m surprised it’s July already. I don’t want the summer to fly by because I so enjoy the garden and the flowers and the birds and critters. We’ve had a lot of activity at the birdbath, with birds waiting in line to jump in. The other day a female cardinal was on the edge of the birdbath waiting for a robin to finish bathing. She just sat there, and the robin, to his/her credit, wasn’t threatened by her. Then, when the robin finished and flew off, I fully expected the cardinal to jump in as well. But no, she just sat there, and then flew away.

Oh, I am so fascinated by these birdies!

We’re holding off on more mowing until the grass gets a big longer. Plus, the clover is blooming and I know the bunnies like clover. I’m happy to keep it available on the menu for now.

What else? Babylon Berlin, Season 4 is as brilliant as the first three seasons. The streaming service is releasing two episodes a week, so we have to wait until Tuesday for more. It’s simply the best series I’ve ever seen. We’re also still watching Northern Exposure. Tonight, we’ll finish Season 4 and then there are only two seasons left.

And I’m reading The Light Years, as well as a book on Sissinghurst, which was the home of Vita Sackville-West and her husband, famous for its gardens.

Pru on a walk in our woods. (I got 3 mosquito bites while taking this picture.)

We have some celebrations this week: Meredith’s birthday is on Wednesday, and we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the day we met on Thursday. Whoo hoo!

Stay safe,

Happy Monday.