July days

July has been a string of warm, sunshiny days broken only occasionally by a passing thunderstorm.  Mornings are my favorite, walking the dog and enjoying our surroundings filled with birdsong, the occasional bullfrog croaking, and the cackle of the hens.  So far, walking the hay meadow, we've come upon a little fawn curled up in the tall grass and a fox near her den, as well as the usual frogs and snakes.  There are markings from skunks, but luckily we don't run into them during the day.  At night, as I head out to close up the hen house, the field and trees are glittering with fireflies. If not for the mosquitoes, I would stand there and watch for a long time.

Over the weekend we worked in the garden, weeding, staking tomatoes, and trellising string beans.  We biked the canal towpath, passing by many families of geese along the way.  I fit in some reading {I've discovered a room at the antique store, filled with wonderful old books} and a little bit of crochet--embellishments for the knitted tea cosy I'm working on.  We celebrated the Fourth with a family picnic and grilled {slightly burned} chicken, potato salad, fresh corn on the cob, cheddar biscuits, deviled eggs, blackberry pie, Lorna Doone spoon pudding, and cookies.   We missed the fireworks, but sat around the campfire instead, eating s'mores.  

Life in July...it's some of the best I think.