My garden ...........

I'm finally posting pictures of my garden. We are getting squash, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce. I've had a few small tomatoes ripen, but they have had dry rot on the bottom and were not usable. We had a big chef salad for supper using bounty from the garden. Ummm good!







We're having another hot week with temperatures in the 90s. It's midnight and my thermometer says it's still 79 degrees outside. We've been getting smoke the last couple of nights from a forest fire near Wilmington, North Carolina. Some people actually woke up thinking their houses were on fire and called the fire department.

A relaxing water fountain .........

We got a water fountain this spring and set it beside the deck. It is so relaxing to sit and listen to the water as it falls from one level to the other. I can close my eyes and imagine that I am a child again, spending my summer afternoons at the creek. I've spent more time than I should lately sitting on the deck and reading to the sound of the water.

I've gotten the house back in order. I still need to do some deep cleaning, but I'm putting that off for now. We need to get the rest of the rooms painted. One thing leads to another.

We're beginning to get zuchinni and cucumbers from the garden. We have little green tomatoes that won't be ripe any time soon. Nothing is better than a ripe, juicy tomato straight from the garden. Umm, Umm. I can hardly wait.

Remodeling is complete ........

The remodeling of my kitchen and bathrooms is complete! They came today and completed all the finishing details. I'm very pleased with the job they did. I've gotten things pretty much back in place. I still need to do some cleaning, wash windows, etc. It's a real pleasure to have my house back in order. Here are some before and after pictures.

Kitchen before ...





Kitchen after ...





Bathrooms before ...





Bathrooms after ...





Now I've got to concentrate on getting the pool straight. The story of our problems with it will have to wait for another day.

The hummingbirds are here .......

A large flock of hummingbirds arrived a few days ago. It sounds like a swarm of bees when I go in the back yard where the feeder is. I had to fill this feeder twice today and it's almost empty again. They certainly are hungry little things.

I love to watch them as they fight for the feeder. Usually there is one really mean fellow that chases the others away. For such small birds they can be very noisy and very pushy. They will get right in my face when I add food to the feeder.

These birds will spend the summer here and have their babies. I have tried to find one of their nests, but have been unable to locate one. I think they are fascinating.

Making progress ..........

We are still in the middle of remodeling. Lots of progress has been made, but things are still a mess. The painters came today and began preparing the walls. Once the pantry is painted, I will be able to move all my food from boxes in the garage to shelves in the pantry. The refrigerator should be able to go back in place as soon as the wall is painted behind it and the trim installed. I'll post some pictures soon.

I finally got the results of my stress test. Everything was normal. When I had my annual physical last month, my blood pressure was slightly elevated. The nurse practitioner gave me a prescription for what she described as a baby dose of blood pressure medicine. I asked if there were any side effects and she assured me that I shouldn't have any problems. Well, evidently the blood pressure medicine was causing all my problems - palpitations, dizziness, weakness, muscle pain, and stomach pain. Once the doctor changed my medicine I felt fine. Sometimes medicine causes more problems than it solves.

I will leave you with a photo of Mollie Ann. She looks like a little angel in this picture, but don't be deceived - she can be a little terror.