Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Cooling it, hanging on, and a birthday......


July days are in full swing.........big holiday over, leaving on a vacation end of this month. Today is DH's birthday - seems there were great firework displays in his honor last night, lol!

Happy Birthday dear Bob, and here's to many more - fireworks guaranteed.


  • Reviewing past magazines before sharing with friends.  
  • Loving Fifi O'Neill's beautiful book.
  • Checking blogs, of course!  
  • Sipping Trader Joe's pink raspberry lemonade with the addition of fresh raspberries.
The gazebo has a great overhead fan..............an hour or so in the afternoon, out of the direct sun, despite 95+ degrees, is bearable and pleasant.  A few hours later, as the sun drops lower, with a glass of chilled rosé and a salad, a Summer supper is enjoyable.  Early morning with the first coffee works for me too!


Meanwhile, tucked into my front steps, a tiny purple viola is still surviving in the torrid heat!  Somehow this sweet flower seeded from a plant in the nearby flower bed, amazing!


We're far from the blue ocean, at least two hours driving on the hot, hazy highway. Perhaps a sea of cool green ivy will be the closest we get to water for a while. Will be off to the West and my favorite blue lake later this month.  
Plenty of ivy in my garden - impossible not to keep that plant down.
  

Red hot bricks and mortar.  Each day a bloom fades and shrivels, then another opens.  Definitely a lesson in tenacity for me.  

Discover the small things tucked in the corners of every day.


I'm enjoying reading your guesses regarding my cruise to somewhere!  
If you haven't entered yet be sure to return to this post and give it a try - the more the merrier!

13 comments:

  1. Everything looks so serene... hope dear Bob is having a blessed birthday. Happy Birthday Bob!!! Love, Vanessa

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  2. I love the the sweet face of the viola popping up through the brick. Here it would be wild violets. Lovely pictures and thoughts.

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  3. Happy birthday to your husband from Italy!

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  4. What a beautiful and serene post - at least it made me feel serene for a moment as I contemplate getting ready for a hectic day at work. Too many places to go and things to do - I'll just be grateful that it isn't at all hot here. I love the idea of the first cup of morning coffee in the gazebo!

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  5. Sending you dear Husband special birthday wishes!
    What a tenatious viola, how lovely.

    I bet you're pleased the foxes have left ;o) but you know, you can never have too much wildlife!

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  6. Seems to me that viola likes its roots cool.

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  7. Happy Birthday to your sweet Bob. I wish you both many more shared birthdays.

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  8. Happy Birthday Bob! July birthdays are special...mine's in 2 days:) Re your sweet flower....isn't nature amazing! Could your trip be cruzin the area around Seattle?

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  9. Well, happy birthday to your dear hubby. I love the sweet viola and it's tenacity! Thanks for your comment on my Canada Day post. If you ever come to NB please be sure to let me know so we can get together! Have a great week! Pamela

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  10. I just love old magazines, but I finally had to get rid of boxes of them. Many of them were Country Living too, 10 years worth. I sold some for 10 cents each recently at a garage sale. Happy birthday to your husband.

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  11. Belated 'Happy Birthday' to your DH - 4th July is a good day for a birthday:)

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  12. Please tell that handsome "young" man a big Happy Birthday from us! A little late I am, but I'm sending it anyway!
    Hugs to both of you,
    Ulrike

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