I thought this photo taken this morning of my bee balm looked like a burst of fireworks, so here it is. New Jersey likes its fireworks, obviously, since for the past several nights that’s all we’ve heard. First one little town will have their fireworks display, then the next town will have theirs the following night. Plus the neighbors have been setting off illegal fireworks on and off during the day and night. It’s getting a bit old since none of us are fans of loud noises. The dogs have held up well though and I’m proud of them.

Rick’s Dad came through the surgery, but it was much worse than they had thought so the surgery was a long and difficult one. We hope his recovery goes smoothly.

It’s cloudy and cool here today so far. We were hoping to spend the day lolling around the pool but it’s not really pool weather. We have a pork shoulder smoking on the BBQ for our pulled pork sandwiches later today. Of course,  now it looks like we have some rain on the way… Freshly made coleslaw and sweet corn on the cob will round out our 4th of July barbecue. Yum! Hope you all have a great holiday!

Sorry I’ve been neglecting my blog for the past few days but things have been a bit hectic. It all started with Rick getting stranded in the airport in L.A. without a flight home due to storms here on the East Coast. 24 hours and many missed stand-by flights later he finally arrived home. This put going to upstate New York to pick up my Mom and bring her back for a week’s visit with us off by one day and we’re still trying to catch up. My friend Carolyn from Rhode Island also came for the weekend, albeit one day later!

Add to this the fact that Daisy has been sick (we think she’s turned the corner to recovery now) and Rick’s Dad goes in for open-heart surgery tomorrow you can see why I’ve been a bit lax. Please keep Vaughn in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

Until I can give more time to blogging, please enjoy Alex and his favorite toy.

Finally, he gets tired of the whole thing ...

Back to a new slo-mo vid for you. Who knew that butterflies [or maybe these are moths?] use their wings like birds do? They always look like they are just flitting around and not taking deep strokes. This is a series of clips put together in one video. Watch for a bumblebee to helicopter in on the third butterfly segment.

It’s hot. Just a few short days ago I was wearing my capris. Now it’s strip down time! Whew ... today was in the low 90s and sweltering. I knew when I got up this morning and the sky was sheet metal gray with a fine haze lingering in the woods. A strong signal for humidity and hot weather ahead.

I am all alone right now with Rick on a business trip in L.A. I don’t really envy him since he said it was smoggy, crowded,  and hot there, but I do miss him. I haven’t left the house (via car) in two days. I don’t think the dogs are going to want walkies tonight since as I type at 6:30 p.m. the thermometer still hovers at 88 degrees F. Ouch. They would burn their little tootsies on the pavement! I am eating off of what is in the fridge and cabinets and doing rather well. Tonight since it’s so hot I am having a fresh Jersey tomato sliced, with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoned with lots of salt and pepper, and an avocado. Oh yes, and fresh basil grown right here on my deck and a shave or two of Asiago cheese on top of those luscious tomatoes. A glass of white wine added in never hurts either.

Today I couldn’t help but jump in the pool for some serious pruning of fingers and toes. I tried reading on the lounge in the sun but I started to sizzle after about 15 minutes or so. The pool welcomed my over-heated body into its cool depths.  ~ aaaaaahhhhhhh ~  The pool water has a different odor this year. Last year I’m certain that we weren’t putting the right thing in and it always smelled a bit like chlorine. This year it smells like a hotel pool, so I think we’ve finally gotten it right. It certainly is crystal clear.

After a few laps I hopped on the float and just vegetated, letting the current that the pool pump generated move me slowly around the pool. On occasion I would bump ever so gently into the side of the pool giving enough oomph to set me adrift in a different direction. My path was slow and languorous, allowing me to view things in slow motion. The day lilies drifted by in a haze of orange.  bump  Then came the view of the dense canopy of green all our lovely trees cast.  bump  Another view I can’t even remember now. My hands dangle in the cool water. Some bird is using its shrill call to send morse code. Ack! Something swam into my hand, fluttering against the palm and brought me out of my reveries. A bee of some kind which I quickly fling to the side of the pool. Okay, after a slow float around the pool for about 15 minutes, I’m ready to finish my laps and go back into the cool air-conditioned house.

Back inside I finally take my shower for the day. The dogs loll around with no ambition to go outside in the heat. We all watch a movie. Something about the behind scenes of the Partridge Family. Hmmm…how many of my readers remember this show? It’s nostalgic for me because I was the teeny-bopper audience they were looking for. I had the definite hots for David Cassidy. Big time. I had all the Tiger Beat magazines with him on the cover. 

“I think I love you ...” [he sang ...]

Now I wonder why I found him so attractive. Actually, he came off as being quite “girly.” I was only thirteen, so I guess I can cut myself a bit of slack here. But really. What was I thinking?

Dinner was delish.

We had a bear visit this morning. Check out the Bear Diary for the latest entry!