Summertime........

 Making sun tea on the patio is a highlight of summer.   I discovered a Vanilla Chai by Bigelow that I add to Constant Comment or Spicy Chai and let it simmer in the sun......perfection.

Dinner last night was grilled marinated portobello burgers with veggie brown rice ......decided to skip the fresh corn but it's coming in now and we'll have plenty of it.  

More flowers are in bloom.    This morning I saw a large buck in the yard......since it was 8 in the morning, I was rather surprised.    I know they rummage thru the flowers at night and last night the wine colored lilies disappeared.     

  

 If you look closely, there are hollyhocks surrounding this lily.    They have never been there before.    I have no idea where they came from.    Neighbors down the street have hollyhocks but I doubt they fly thru the air.     I love hollyhocks but don't need them on top of the lily.    I will try and replant them when they are done blooming but I sure wish I knew how they got there.

 We have quite a few mallard ducks.     Also an occasional heron and a few Canadian geese.    The ducks were fun to watch last month as their babies ( 8-10) hatched and waddled behind momma.    Unfortunately, most of the flocks were quickly reduced to only 1 or 2 ducklings.    Coyotes suspected or maybe owls.     This is a teenage mallard going for a swim in the pond.    
We have a large pond close to the yard and it was recently stocked with 80 rainbow trout.   Other ponds were as well.    It is catch and release but I'm sure some of them ended up in the frying pan.   I watched the release and they were each about a foot long and very pretty.  

Along with blooming flowers, we get the weeds.    I'm pretty good about keeping up with it but on the  side of our house that has a neighbor, there is the creek.    It is lined with smooth round rocks of various sizes.     Rick manages to keep his side weed free and tidy.     He uses Roundup.     I refuse to use Roundup on much of anything and pull out most everything except the tiny creeping stuff that is impossible to eliminate from the rock  cover.....so I do spray that.     Anyhow, our weeds on the creekside are becoming unsightly.   I've tried to pull them but between the precarious footing and the deep roots, it is futile.    Our yard guy said he'd send over some college guys he hired for the summer but we have yet to see them.      So, I decided to confront the task yesterday.     I did fairly well balancing on the rocks and pulling a lot of weeds.....    Then I got closer to the water and in an instant I was sliding inelegantly down the muddy slope and into the stream.    My first thought was that I was totally visible to the golfers  and how embarrassing to have them dash over to rescue me.   Fortunately they hadn't approached the 4th tee boxes and I managed to get myself upright and squished and crawled back up the slope.     It was then that I felt the body parts that had impacted and broken my fall.     My hands and butt took the brunt of it and I wrapped my wrist in ice for a bit.   Today I'm pretty sore but I might try golf later......maybe.    I did not inherit my mother or my sister's love of the garden nor do I find comfort and meditation in weeding...... I consider it as rewarding as cleaning bathrooms or dusting.

Meanwhile the hosta are huge and make me happy.