Making the Most out of Summer

One of the plants I water during my nightly 20 minute watering ritual this summer

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

Let’s do several special things to enjoy our weekend. This is probably one of the last weekends of summer. Whether you’re gardening for pleasure (instead of for chores), doing something active like biking, hiking or roller blading, going to the beach or camping, reading a book for an extra long time today, going out for dinner and a movie, lounging in your yard or on your patio, or whatever you find fun and relaxing.. do it! Give yourself the time.
Weekends can get lonely for old people, divorced people, or singles. What do you say we book some time into our weekend to make a phone call or two? I’m going to step away from my blog and call my widowed grandfather for a quick chat before he goes to dinner.
My neighborhood blackberry bushes have berries starting to rot on the vine. I’m going out berry picking tonight. I’ll be making blackberry pie and blackberry ice cream tomorrow!

TODAY’S PROJECT: Outdoor Living Area Maintenance

I’m laughing because I seem to have replicated most of the important living areas in my home to my back yard. I have a living room (shown here) where I read books and magazines and chat with guests.

Here’s a fire pit where we cook cornbread, steam potatoes, cook aluminum-foil wrapped corn, and make baked beans; plus our dining table where we eat outdoors; and a chaise lounge to nap on after a long session of reading magazines.

In Seattle, with a mild winter but 8 months of rain or gray skies, I really try to take as much advantage of our summer as possible. Any time I can be outdoors, especially for meals, I do it. I work outside if it’s not too sunny to see what’s going on on my laptop; I take naps outside if it isn’t too hot; and my summer parties are all outdoors.

Today I’m taking time to clean, maintain and refresh my outdoor living areas. The neighbor boy mowed the lawn yesterday, which meant I had to move all the outdoor furniture so as to maximize his mowing. (On second thought, I should have the kid moving the furniture, mowing, and moving it back). I didn’t water my lawn because I knew it was going to rain, so kept the furniture out of the way to maximize the surface area of my lawn that the rain would hit.

Now that the rain is over, I’m wiping down the outdoor furniture, bringing the cushions back out, wiping or scrubbing cat hair off them, Febrezing as necessary, and making sure my outdoor living area is useful and beautiful.

My patio table and side tables need wiping off, incense and matches replenished, patio swept, dead plants removed, live plants watered and fertilized.

I eat breakfast on this part of my patio. The chairs need fallen leaves brushed off them, the lantern needs its candle replaced, and I need to recycle the magazines I’ve enjoyed today and replace them from my “to read” stack.

Today’s chore is an extremely pleasant one – I’m making my outdoor living space lovely again, and I’ll enjoy it tonight after the rains have gone and after my work is done.

I’ll have all autumn and winter to enjoy being indoors in my lovely home. For now, I’m reading in the sun, watching my dogs play in the yard, listening to the wind as it blows in the trees above my head, and enjoying hearing neighborhood children play at the school playground next door.

Do you have an outdoor living space, whether it’s a deck, backyard, patio or small lawn, that needs tending to today?

LOVELY BEVERAGES: Pearl’s New Lime Basil Vodka

I’m making refreshing summer drinks with just this new Pearl Lime Basil vodka, tonic, and a piece of mint or two from my kitchen garden. The only problem is, they’re so light tasting, it’s hard to know how many one has had in a long lazy summer afternoon! I won’t buy a second bottle when this one is all drunk up – it’s a summer flavor, after all. I’m excited to see what Pearl might come out with in time for the autumn and fall holidays.

Lime Basil Vodka, at Pearl Vodka.com

LOVELY BLOGS: It’s Only Vintage But I Like It

Here’s a pretty blog with recent posts on Pyrex, vintage jugs, vintage finds from a car boot sale, vintage charity shop finds, and lovely fabric prints. Wish the blogger had an “About me” page so I could tell you more about her!

http://itsonlyvintagebutilikeit.com/

LOVELY BOOKS: Pie School

I checked “Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour and Butter” out from my local library.. and enjoyed it so much, I got a late fee for not returning it. Oops! I turned the book back in, sheepishly paid my fee, and bought the book on Amazon so I have my own copy. There are lots of pie books out there, but this one has easy to follow recipes, beautiful photography, and writing that speaks to me in a way I can understand. I’ve already baked way more galettes, tarts and pies than I normally would have felt confident attempting! I may have to hold off on baking for a while so my friends and family aren’t overwhelmed by unsolicited pie drop-off gifts on their front doorsteps!

Pie School the Cookbook, by Kate Lebo

Pie School, on Amazon

LOVELY ENTERTAINING: Andie’s Specialty Sweets

I am saving “Andie’s Specialty Sweets” in my bookmark folder for Magical Entertaining. I am so impressed by the sugar confections offered here. There are vintage style edible buttons, painted chocolate autumn leaves, edible oyster shells and sand dollars, cocoa bean candy acorns, and a cute chocolate deer (I wouldn’t hesitate to bite its head off, either!) They need quite a long lead time to custom produce your order, so order as early as possible. I’m trying to get their green autumn leaves in time for a party I’m throwing in mid October. This is a good resource for wedding reception planning, too, I imagine.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/andiespecialtysweets

LOVELY SHOPS: Pictorial History