The Heat Wave is Over...

I haven't had to use the air conditioner in a couple weeks now but that electric bill for July is a biggie! The biggest we've ever had in the 20+ years we've lived here. We broke lots of records and it was really hard to enjoy summer like we usually do.The garden isn't really complaining. I've had a bumper crop of tomatoes! The potatoes were dug up last weekend and I think we got a pretty good harvest considering the bugs were eating the tops at record speed. I didn't really think I'd have anything under the ground when I looked at those poor tops. Not much was left except the stalk, all the leaves gone!

I had so many tomatoes I was able to do one batch of canning.

I don't think they turned out as well as a couple years ago, lots of water in these tomatoes. They'll be good in chili or spaghetti sauce this winter though.The onion crop was quite small, maybe 10 onions in all. The tomatoes got so tall that they pretty much shaded the onions the last month or so.

There are still tomatoes out there to harvest and some cucumbers and the carrots. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up some honey. We have so many hives out there this year. The beekeepers have them in 4 different spots on the outskirts of the garden.My healthiest cucumber plant is right here in my front flower bed! I planted one or two plants I had left over and had no room for in the big garden and decided I'd try them there.

I've already gotten 2 cucumbers off of there and I counted 5 more that are almost ready and lots more blossoms. Now if we can just get the frost to hold out another month or so we'll be good!

I had a Bunco girls weekend up north a couple weeks ago. There were just 6 of us and we had a great time, drama free, and really enjoyed ourselves.

It seems every year that we go to Traverse City its this weekend and the Traverse City Film Festival is also that weekend. Friday night we went into town where they have a street festival. It was blazing hot and pretty crowded so we didn't stay too long. The next morning we took a little drive to Charlevoix for a little shopping and lunch.

Then a few of us headed down to the beach but weren't able to stay long before the black clouds started coming in. Dinner that night was at the "club" which is part of the country club that our hostess belongs to. The next morning after a walk and a leisurely breakfast of Dutch Babies we were headed home. The traffic was terrible! A great time was had by all!

I just have to say that this weekend has been the most beautiful weather weekend so far this year. The temps and humidity are absolutely perfect. I'm going to try to remember this next February. The sounds, the smells, the refreshing little breeze and puffy white clouds floating by, absolute perfection!

Kitty is back. He/she was sitting right in front of a chipmunk hole!

School will be starting in just a couple weeks. I've already gone in to one school and organized my desk since I don't plan on coming back until the first day of school on Sept. 4. I've already heard of some changes in personnel this year. I'm sad for me and our school but happy for them. Change is good but it's hard too.

This is the first time I've ever seen and been able to capture two hummingbirds at the feeder at the same time!

I still have a couple weeks left of summer though and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it because once it's gone it takes so long to come around again, especially here in Michigan!

Big changes are coming. More next time...

Have a good week!