lovin' summer #7

Scientists make precise calculations to determine the summer solstice  and autumnal equinox - or the first day of summer and the first day of fall for us lay persons. In 2013, summer began on June 21st and autumn begins on September 22nd. But conventional wisdom has summer beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day. And using that definition of summer, there are four official (according to the United States Flag Code) summer flag-flying days.

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is a day for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the US Armed Forces. Once known as Decoration Day, it began after the Civil War to commemorate Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that war as a means to unify the nation. Later, all Americans who died while serving their country were included.

Flag Day, June 14th, commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 establishing June 14th as Flag Day.

Independence Day, July 4th, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 declaring independence from Great Britain.

And finally, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.

Businesses and government buildings, of course, fly their flags every day. We fly our flag almost every day as do a few people in our neighborhood. But most people fly their flags only on the official flag-flying days. I love driving through our neighborhood and seeing so many flags flying. It is a visible sign that although we may differ in many things (race, ethnicity, politics, religion, age, moral beliefs and income to name a few), we are united in our love for our country. And I get to witness it four times in just over three months during the summer!

I  LOVE  SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #6

It started innocently enough three years ago. We spent 4th of July, 2011 in Payson with our MR KLUD friends. Doug and Ursi brought some Peeps and their BB/pellet gun. Mike and Richard set up a board on top of two saw horses while Doug got the "blind" ready. Then they arranged the Peeps on the board, assigned point values to them and we were ready. We played guys against gals (Laurie, Ursi and Kristin) and the gals won by a landslide! And they did the following year, too!

What started as just something to do while we were waiting for the fireworks that evening has turned into an annual competition. It prompted Mike and Richard to purchase their own BB/pellet guns so each couple can sight their own. Some people have even practiced during the year. And we all eagerly await the Annual Peep Shoot each summer on the 4th of July. After all, what is more patriotic than exercising our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms??

This year, during the 3rd Annual Peep Shoot, Mike and Laurie's son and daughter-in-law (Matt and Danielle) joined in the festivities. But despite having another good shot on our team, the guys claimed the title for the first time. Will there be a rematch next year? Absolutely!! In fact, Peep purchasing may have already begun...

The Third Annual Peep Shoot ~ July 4, 2013

To make things even more interesting this year, Doug threaded Peeps on a long thread, then tied the thread between the saw horse and a lawn mower handle (3rd photo down on the left). These Peeps moved in the wind and were much harder to shoot. They were also worth more points. 

I  LOVE  SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #5

Every child in elementary school in Arizona learns the 5 C's that Arizona is known for - cotton, cattle, citrus, copper and climate. I think a sixth one should be added - corn!

When I was growing up in the valley, I remember lots and lots of cotton fields and citrus orchards... but not many corn fields. Ironically, corn was grown in what is now Arizona by Native Americans centuries ago but as the country expanded westward, corn production slowed dramatically. In more recent times, corn production in Arizona has picked up although the state is not by any means a major producer. However, fields near our home that only ten or fifteen years ago were growing cotton are now growing corn. And I, for one, am loving it!

Local sweet corn is available at farmer's markets, vegetable stands and some grocery stores. My new favorite way to cook it is on the grill.

I enjoy the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth corn on the cob as often as I can during the summer because once summer's over, the corn is too!

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #4

I used to think that growing roses were for "real gardeners," not an amateur like me. After I finally planted a rose bush several years ago, I realized that if you choose a hardy variety, growing roses is pretty fool-proof. It is a lovely surprise every summer when it blooms throughout the hot months - or at least the one I have does.

What a pretty bouquet!

This past week, an explosion of roses greeted me every time I passed my rose bush. I love seeing the colorful flowers in the summer - it gives the illusion of being cooler.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

50 shades of summer - june

June brought some unexpected challenges but I still was able to knock off eleven things on my 50 Shades of Summer list. Three involved cooking (#10, #13 and #19) and three more were movie watching (#18, #20 and #25). The remaining five were stand alone solo items (#11, #15, #29, #38 and #39).

Summer fun!

Planting my herb garden was the first thing I did because I wanted the plants to be established before the extreme heat hit. My basil, parsley, chives and mint are thriving and I am enjoying having fresh herbs when I need them. I also got great local produce at the Gilbert Farmer's Market. I will be going back often for "peaches and cream" (also called bi-colored) corn!

I have wanted to try homemade popsicles for some time. After purchasing a popsicle mold from Amazon and reading some recipes online I was ready to try my own - blueberry, peach, banana with vanilla yogurt. Oy vey! How could something good for you also taste soooo good?! Avocado seems to be a popular flavor - I may try those next just because it seems like an unlikely popsicle flavor. We had gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup of Mexican origin, on a hot evening - very refreshing! And I made avocado chicken salad (a new recipe!) to go with it. I will definitely be making that again!

I listened to a lot of great music (and some not so great!) deciding what to include in my "Summertime Playlist." I selected 17 tunes ranging from Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" and Kenny Chesney's "Summertime." It is my new favorite playlist! Watching a live performance (Big Pete Pearson) at the Desert Botanical Garden reminded me how much I enjoy jazz and the corn fritters at Gertrude's before the concert were delicious.It was our first concert at the Garden but I'm quite sure it won't be our last!

The summer blockbuster, Jaws, was released on June 20, 1975 and we watched it again 38 years later on June 20th. Did you know that the most often quoted line of the movie ("We're gonna need a bigger boat!") was ad libbed by Roy Scheider who played Brody? And the movie was just as suspenseful this time as it was decades ago on the big screen! We were surprised to find a packed house when we saw Stories We Tell, a documentary, at the Camelview Theater and a considerably less than full house when we saw Man of Steel. I enjoyed both movies but thought Stories We Tell was a little slow.

I was surprised I only made it to one of the four coffee shops on my list. Grove Coffee is on the campus of The Grove Church on Gilbert Road. The coffee shop is cute, quiet, inviting and serves great coffee drinks. It's open seven days a week and is a well-kept secret!

That was June. I can't wait to see what fun things July brings...

lovin' summer #3

There is no denying that summertime in Arizona is hot. Usually by the end of June the really hot spell begins and typically lasts for at least the first couple of weeks of July. It is what ushers in our monsoon season where we get slightly cooler temperatures but higher humidity, thunderstorms, dust storms and, hopefully, some rain.

This week was the beginning of the really hot spell as temperatures in the valley climbed toward 120 degrees. Yesterday, the high in our backyard was 115 degrees - and today was even warmer.

Although it was quite toasty yesterday afternoon, it was a very pleasant 78 degrees at 6:00 in the morning as I sipped my coffee on the patio. No matter now hot it gets in the afternoon, I know it will be cooler in the morning.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

they don't make 'em like they used to

My mother-in-law, whom everyone called Nona, was a girl during the Great Depression and learned many valuable lessons as she grew up. She would share these pearls of wisdom with us and we began to affectionately call them "Nona-isms." Things like "Don't buy something if you don't have money to pay for it" and "Don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish" (meaning if something is really cheap (in price), then it's most likely cheaply made and won't last) and "Always buy American when you can."

When my husband was a boy, he liked his clothes very soft with no rough edges and Nona liked a quality product at a reasonable price so Sears & Roebuck was where most of his clothes were purchased - everything from underwear to shirts and pants.

Kids dressed quite a bit differently when my husband was in elementary school than they do today. Girls wore dresses and boys wore button-up shirts and pants (usually jeans). My husband had quite a collection of button-up shirts but his very favorite one was this one...

Isn't he cute?

In fact, he loved it so much that he wore it for picture day in both 5th and 6th grade nearly 50 years ago! Nona once told me he wore the same five or six shirts - his favorites - every week. So that means this shirt was washed over 100 times while he had it. Then it was passed down to four nephews who each wore it quite a few times. 

One of the nephews, who now has a child of his own, recently told me he remembered wearing the shirt with great fondness - it was soooo soft! When all the nephews had outgrown it, the shirt was returned to us. We saved it for our children to wear... but they never did since we had daughters. So we put it away in case we had grandsons.

This year we gave the shirt to one of our grandsons. And he chose to wear it in the Spring Concert at his school.

And isn't he cute, too?

This shirt was worn by six BOYS over a 48-year span. And I wouldn't be surprised if at least one more grandson wears it. I think Nona most definitely got her money's worth out of this purchase. And I seriously doubt that a shirt purchased today would hold up as well. After all, we seem to live in a disposable world.