Happy July!

The peas grew about 7 feet tall this year - and then some.

The calendar flips another page and I wonder again where the time went.  Just last week the peas were still reaching for the sky, and now they are gone and onions take their place.  The perennials that were just blooming (only yesterday, it seems,) are now bending over in their beds and waning in the heat.

We've had our first 100 degree day, and it won't be our last.  Today was mercifully cooler - only slightly - and I was able to do some gardening, but there is much more to be done.  The lawn needs mowing too, but it's going to have to wait for a cooler day or I'll have to be out with a headlamp at midnight pacing the yard.

The early mornings are when I spend the most time outdoors these days.  The cats birdwatch and chase bugs and I water the gardens and check the progress of the veggies and herbs.  I find myself lighting incense each morning when I go out.  It puts me in a bit of a meditative state while I putter around the yard.  I was a bit too far away the other morning when I put my leg into the salvia, which was full of happy bees.  A good sting brought me right back to the here and now.

Masses of lady's mantle as the sun comes up.

Once the picking of veggies begins and the early perennials start to fade, it is not a stretch for me to start to think of harvest time.  Last year I made a conscious choice to not wish away the summer in favor of fall, and I found I enjoyed the season much more.  This year I have some camping plans, but I'm going to stick close to home and garden, and work on my culinary skills.  I'm dying to try some new adventures with the food I grow and the gorgeous produce I pick up from the local farmers market.

I missed the self-heal bloom this year, and I fear that unless I get up very high in the hills, I may have missed the bulk of the wild yarrow too.  I'd rather not have to buy herbs that I can grow or wildcraft locally, but I also remind myself that I'm not filling up every moment of my day with activity anymore. If I don't have time for harvesting (or I need a nap, workout, or meditation,) then that's okay.

I hope you are taking time to smell the flowers this summer (and napping!)  What do you do to ensure you get enough relaxation during the hectic and hot summer months?

Evening primrose blossom.

A belated Happy Canada Day to my lovely fellow Canadians, and a very happy Independence Day to my wonderful friends to the south!  Happy July!