Hello there, Rural Sprout readers,Ā Iām writing up the Sunday newsletter on a Saturday evening, sitting in the final golden rays of sunshine streaking across the big, cushy blue chair in my bedroom. I often refer to this chair as The Blue Office. Today has been the quintessential lazy
summer day.Ā In fact, itās been the best day of the summer so far.Ā Which is saying a lot considering all the fun the boys and I had on the 4th of July. We kept it simpleāa party of three. Ā We played bocce ball and had a water
balloon fight. (I won because while the boys fought over water guns, I grabbed the garden hose.) We played croquet. We got out the Slip ān Slide (it seems shorter when youāre in your mid-40s). We had a cookout and ate all the traditionally American cookout foods. Ā Hot dogs, sweet corn, macaroni salad, baked beans, potato salad, grape-nut pudding (a treat I first discovered in the very first summer I
lived in PA), and watermelon. And about a gallon of homemade lemonade.Ā Ā We didnāt have room for the sāmores. Ā We skipped the local fireworks display and opted for an early bedtime as we were all quite pooped. We awoke this morning with grand intentions: a hike, maybe a drive to the lake for swimming. But something happened shortly after
breakfast.Ā I donāt know what moved slower, us or time.Ā We found ourselves enjoying one of those rare summer days where the humidity had passed and the heat was pleasant rather than overbearing. The road in front of the house was unusually quiet due to the holiday weekend.Ā And as the morning wore on, our get-up-and-go got up and went.Ā The day took on the quality of the kind of lazy summer days you usually find at the lake. The eldest teenager dozed on the couch for a four-hour nap. (I swear I can stand there and watch him getting taller.) The youngest and I took up our watch on the
front porch, he with his cream soda in hand and me with my book. Ā The three of us moved like molasses through the day, subsisting on popsicles and leftovers from the cookout. I lounged on the bed with the cats for a while reading, then took my book back on the front porch for a bit, then to the living room once the oldest had risen from his nap.Ā Ā Oh sure, there were things to be done.Ā The garden still needs a lot of work. The kitchen needed to be tidied. Every room could use a vacuum. But other than a steady stream of laundry being taken out to the clothesline on the hour and a load returning folded and fresh (is there anything so
wonderful as a crunchy, sun-dried towel), we couldnāt be bothered.Ā July 4th may have been the countryās Independence Day, but July 5th was ours.Ā Even now, as the sun is heading for the hills, bathing everything in that beautiful gold that only comes at the end of the day, the most pressing thing on my mind is whether I want a popsicle for dinner or something more
substantial.Ā I hope you, too, dear readers, find your own Independence Day this summer.
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Every spring, I'm amazed by my peonies. It still blows my mind that such a massive, frilly blossomā¦
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Did you get off to a late start? No worries, there are still so many things you can plant in July forā¦
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You can easily double your tomato harvest by using this simple trick when training tomatoes to growā¦
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July is great! I'm always ready to eat my body weight in sweetcorn and watermelon. The fireflies areā¦
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Blueberries and basil - a flavor combo that personifies summer. Create this easy and deliciousā¦
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Would you believe these monsters started in that tiny pot? Oh, my friends, I hope you like basil.ā¦
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A pest or two here and there is one thing, but what do you do when your entire garden is slowlyā¦
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If you've never had good luck growing peppers, all that's about to change. We've got the 8 tricks youā¦
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As gardeners, we are keenly aware that Mother Nature holds the cards when it comes to having a goodā¦
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There's more to companion planting than adding a few specific herbs or flowers. Other factors canā¦
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to read a few for inspiration? Find past newsletters here.Ā Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates.Ā That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers. |
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