July is here! So before getting too far into this new month, I’m taking a quick look back at my favorite things and happenings from June.
Favorite #1
Big Eagle and I are staying home this summer, so I’m enjoying travelling vicariously through my children! Here are just a few of the many pictures they’ve shared with me from their adventures:
Cara, Paul, and the girls traveled to Riga, Latvia with Danny and Erin. They were there on Cara’s birthday on June 3rd and helped her celebrate!
When their time in Riga was finished, Danny and Erin went home to Lithuania, and the Bovets flew to Switzerland. In the picture above, Helen and Edie are in an amphitheater in Avenches, Switzerland.
Around mid-June, Danny and Erin began their summer vacation to Central Asia. Above, Erin is pictured during one of their hikes in Kazakhstan.
Danny is shown here during one of their hiking expeditions in Kyrgyzstan, where they are now.
Favorite #2
During the early part of June, Big Eagle and I picked a day to finally take the kayaks out for our first time on the water with them! We went to Cedar Lake in Cleburne State Park.
It turned out to be a good day to go, because even though it was warm, the sky was overcast until late morning, so that helped a lot.
Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch before heading home.
Big Eagle had surgery on his thumb the following week, and was told not to let it get wet. So we haven’t been back out in the kayaks. But now that he’s had the stitches out, we’re hoping to go again sometime soon!
Favorite #3
I’ve been working out five times a week at Orangetheory. During June they brought back one of my favorite partner workouts…Capture the Flag! It was the first time they’ve had a partner workout since before COVID reared its ugly head. Such a fun workout!
Favorite #4
Despite this crazy heat we’ve been having, our tomatoes are doing pretty well. The leaves on the plants look stressed, but they’re still giving us nice tomatoes! By the third week of June, I had enough plums to make my first batch of salsa.
I only got a little more than 5 pints from these tomatoes, but the following week, I had enough to make another batch. That time I got 7 pints.
We have these tomatoes right now, plus some in the garage that we picked this morning. So I’ve about got enough plum tomatoes to make my 3rd batch of salsa. We scaled back on the number of plants this year, only planting 2 Celebrity tomato plants and 3 plum tomato plants. I’ve had more than I could handle in the past, but this year, we’ve been keeping up better with what we’re harvesting. The Celebrities have been our slicers, and the plums have gone into salsa. I didn’t can anything last summer, and it’s been kind of nice to be canning a little bit again.
Favorite #5
Since mid-March I’ve been trying to slowly lose the weight that I gained during COVID. June 14th was a happy day for me, since on that morning when I weighed, I had FINALLY hit the 15th pound lost! It’s nice to finally fit comfortably back into my clothes again!
Favorite #6
My friend Lynn’s birthday is in June, so on the 23rd I treated her to a birthday lunch! She chose Chili’s. I wish I had gotten a pic of us together, but I didn’t think to. I hadn’t eaten in a Chili’s in forever. They now have a section of their menu called the Guiltless Grill. We ordered the Cilantro-Lime Carne Asada from that section. I’m telling you…it was SO GOOD! The meat was so tender and flavorful! And I loved the black beans and rice that accompanied it. I could have licked the plate, but I restrained myself. If you go to Chili’s, give it a try! We sat for a long time after we finished our lunch, just catching up with each other. It was really nice that no one tried to hurry us out.
Favorite #7
A garden first for me this year was planting zinnia seeds, and I’ve been so happy with how well they’ve done!
I’m so happy with them, that I think next year, I’ll plant them along the front of the house for some happy summer color.
Even when the flower is almost spent, I contend it still holds a lot of beauty:
And now it’s July 3rd! So I’ll close by wishing you a happy 4th of July for tomorrow, and happy birthday to my sister Nancy who was born on Independence Day! 😘
Sounds like June was a very good month
Great pictures, fun ! Garden looks great. I’m doing salsa too this summer. Jimmy made some few hot salsa , from his garden. So I might make girls few hot ones. Not real hot but just warmer than others. Steve and I don’t like hot stuff. Plus our three trees of pears has hundreds on them. So canning them too. I got rid of a lot of jars now I be buying them. Lol. I love zinna. I put my in my old big huge pot and enjoy them picking them for my table I keep my seeds also. More you cute more they will bloom. But keep some for you seeds next years. Few years ago I planted a row of short tiny zinna. Love them too. When you cut them for your table you get two stems come out !! So make sure you cut them for your house. I let few ones go to seed !!! Happy 4 th !!
That salsa past made me hungry!
Those garden veggies and flowers prove that you inherited the green thumb from the Harwoods and grandmother Edith with her many flower gardens. Be on the lookout for the book about our family sending to you. Let me know when you receive and so glad Nancy told me about your blog, love seeing the pictures and especially one of your brother Jack who I haven’t seen for so many years. take care, love ya and by the way working on Capt.Jack’s book, hope to finish by spring. love ya
Hello Gale! I’m impressed with your green thumb…both the beautiful tomatoes and the flowers. I love how little blossoms grow from the center. Speaking of thumbs, I hope your husband’s is healing and that you’ve been able to get back out in the kayaks. I can’t believe we are approaching the end of July already. I look forward to reading your favorites from this month.