It's been a beautiful summer here on Long Island. All of my free time has been spent OUTSIDE, in my gardens. It's just about my favorite thing to do!

Here's my first try at basil. It's quite prolific and I need to research the ways in which I can use it. Of course Italian food always tastes great with extra basil, but I'm thinking I'll try and make pesto with it.


I don't know what on earth this is called, but I think it's beautiful!

The lovely dahlias! Unfortunately, some wicked little critter likes to eat the leaves and the flowers!

Miniature roses. I've had this bush since the first year we moved here - that makes it nearly eight-years-old.
Snapdragons! We have yellow and red. They're nestled in the bed beneath our mailbox.

The hydrangea bushes haven't produced many flowers yet. I can't figure out why. Randy said they're probably late bloomers. I hope he's right. They usually bloom around the 4th of July and I love the blue color they sport in honor of our nation's birthday.

Oh, and looks who's back...

A brave little rabbit, I'd say.

TA DA! My very first, homemade, from scratch CHOCOLATE CAKE! Isn't it lovely? Now if I can just find a good marshmallow frosting recipe. If you've got a good one, feel free to leave it in my comment box. :o)

If you live on Long Island, you simply must read this! J. Kings Food Service Professionals, an independently owned food service distributor, is using its long-standing relationships with the region’s top farms to bring the farmers’ market concept to Long Island. Beginning June 25^th, the Holtsville headquarters of J. Kings Food Service Professionals will be the on-site location of the new Long Island Farmers’ Market, at 700 Furrows Road in Holtsville. Here you will have the opportunity to buy directly from dozens of farms that'll be showcasing an assortment of fresh farm produce.

More than 35 local farms will be at the market showcased under tent canopies resembling the world famous Union Square Farmers Market in Manhattan. The Farmers’ Market will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm. For details visit the web site by clicking on the top photo. I bet I’ll see you there!

Click on the apple and see where it takes you for a pleasurable reading experience!

Dark and ominous clouds have moved across the sky of Long Island this evening. The last time I saw storm clouds like these was when we lived in North Dakota! So beautiful, but yet so terrible...

Maggie Anne said, "The nice thing about blogging is that it waits very nicely." So true, so true. Blogging has not been my priority these past several days. Though it may be unbelievable to some, I actually enjoy blogging - it's a relaxing past time for me and a great way to share what's going on in our world with relatives and friends. I"ll be back soon; thanks for waiting so nicely...

I apologize for my absence in the blog world. The only thing I can tell you - and I'm sure all of you will understand - is that June is the busiest month of the year outside of December! Graduation, revival, our two businesses, yard work, etc., have kept me as busy as I can be. Today I am trying to plan meals for the coming revival week, have all the clothing in order, etc. Needless to say, blogging has not been a priority. Not to worry! I've got some great blog themes planned for the summer, so stay tuned and thank you for your patience!

Today is the first HOT day of the summer here on Long Island. The forecast for Sunday and Monday is described as HOT and HUMID, my least favorite kind of weather. On the day this photo was taken, it was a cool and comfortable 71 degrees at Niagra Falls, Canada. Looks wonderful, doesn't it?

I finally broke down and took the linguistics test found on Alisha's blog. Here's what it had to say about the way I speak the language:

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

Truth is, I was born in Wisconsin and raised not to far from Chicago (Rockford, to be precise.) Quite an accurate test, I'd say. And, having stepped away from the Great Lakes and arriving in New York nearly twenty years ago, people still make comments about the way I speak, "You're not from around here, are you?" They say it to Randy also. Abbey? She's a New Yorker, through-and-through. And, just so you know, I used to call carbonated drinks "pop." Now I call them "soda," even though I never, ever drink the stuff.