WOW......yesterday we welcomed the Summer season (officially) and it's been a heat wave all week here in New York! In fact, on Tuesday, some of the public schools in our area, closed at noon so the children didn't have to be in the hot buildings. Most classrooms in NYS do not have air conditioning although the special education rooms are required to, and of course the offices have it.
For now, let's pause and look at the blessings from the past week. I"m sharing FIVE of my FAVES with other bloggers at Susanne's site.
 |
| image courtesy of Amaz*n |
- FRIDAY NIGHT OUT: Last Friday night we were in MA to help my mother in law out (planning the funeral, etc), and my brother in law gave us four tickets to see him perform in the musical theater drama company he belongs to. I hadn't known much about this show so it was fun to see him in it and have a night out with my sister in law Kathy, my husband, and his mom. It was held at this college in the fine arts center. I'm thankful we got to see this musical and have a fun night out. (and yes, I could see why it only lasted 2 months on Broadway hahaha)
 |
| Dave enjoys a huge Italian Chicken Parm dinner and a glass of red wine Courtney enjoyed a turkey pesto panini and a glass of Reisling |
 |
| I enjoyed the Bruschetta Pizza Claire enjoyed a similar one but with vegan cheese |
 |
| This cocktail, a Spanish Sangria, was so good! Claire enjoyed a glass of Prosecco |
- FATHERS DAY: I am so thankful our youngest daughter was able to take the day off and join her big sis and my husband and I for dinner after church. The girls even treated us to dinner! We ate at a new place in town (Midpoint Artisan Pizza) that offers home cooked Italian pasta dishes, a plethora of Italian style hot and cold sandwiches, paninis, salads, and upscale appetizers. There are many vegan and gluten free choices as well. They have an extensive wine list and several good beers. We all chose something different and the pizzas are so large (there are 3 different sizes...I got the smallest) you can get 2 meals out of it. All of us took boxes home except for Dave. AND he treated himself to dessert because it was an authentic Limoncello just like we had in Italy! We hung out in Courtney's apartment for a while afterwards just talking and helping her put her AC window unit in. I'm so thankful we had the day together.
 |
| Upper meadow with Crane Mt in the background I hiked Crane about 10 years ago....it's a tough climb! |
 |
| Trail to the old chapel, house and barn |
 |
| The Enchanted Forest Trail at Dean Farm Nature Center |
 |
| A cascade in the Enchanted Forest part of the trail system |
 |
| The Marsh |
- EARLY DAY HIKE! I had scheduled a hike for Tuesday about a month ago at this place in the eastern Adirondacks. Well, I didn't anticipate the heat wave where the last week of a New York spring would feel like mid-July in a heat wave. There were 3 of us signed up for this hike so I gave the women the option of bowing out. But they really wanted it to go on so I rescheduled us leaving from 9 AM to leaving at 7 AM. It's only a little over an hour away driving north through Saratoga and then through Corinth to Stony Creek. We were on the trail by 8:20 and had hiked 3 different sections and 2 miles. We were hiking in the cooler part of the day and although the sun was hot, the woods were somewhat cool. We were done by 10:45 so ate our snacks and drank a lot of water under the shade of a huge maple tree where there was a picnic table. I'm so thankful my friend Joan volunteered to drive and Karen and I had fun with her. It was Joan's first time on a SoulSteps hike. I'm thankful for these 2 new friends and we have SO much in common.
- CENTRAL AIR: I'm thankful for central air conditioning. We had it put in 5 summers after moving in to our home because I was pregnant with our youngest in 1998 and I was so thankful for it then and now. When we first built the house, we saved money by not having it put in as we did a ceiling fan in the family room and had fans we put on dressers in the bedroom but now I'm so thankful that with the touch of a button, my home is cooled down within a few minutes.
 |
| Thursday 20 June |
- GERBERAS! On Tuesday, I noticed my gerbera daisies were not doing well. I figured out the chewed places on the leaves were from our family of bunnies that have claimed our yard as their own. We think they live either under our deck or behind the large pine tree in the far back part of the yard. Sure enough, I spied the baby bunny chewing on some wildflowers that I'm growing in 2 different pots. So I spread tabasco sauce around the rim of the pots and sprinkled crushed red pepper onto the dirt in the pots and voila....no more bunnies nibbling at my blooms. I also noticed the gerberas do not do welll in the extreme heat so I moved the pot to under my deck umbrella for the rest of the week. They perked right up after I gave them an extra drink. I'm thankful they're doing well and I'm also thankful my next door neighbor said she would water all of my deck and porch containers for us while we are away.
That wraps up my list of faves.
I hope you are having a wonderful start to Summer and that you have a relaxing weekend.
6 comments:
OH my, that food looks SO good! That sure beats Dominos pizza, which is our only "choice" here where we live for anything remotely Italian. Sounds like you all had a wonderful Father's Day. That hike looks like it was a beautiful place, and how wonderful to go with good friends and early in the morning before the heat got heated up! Oh, those bunnies do love to nibble on plants. I once had a "volunteer" cantaloupe growing in my yard from some seeds I had thrown out from a cantaloupe. It was growing so nicely and I was so proud of it, until I woke up one morning and saw a big chunk of it missing. Then I saw the culprit...a brown bunny was a chubby bunny...and he finished that whole cantaloupe! That's why I don't bother to plant a garden...at that house we also had deer who ate petunias and daylilies and most everything else. I am glad you have central AC and can enjoy the summer from indoors. We couldn't survive here in Florida without it, although when I grew up here no one had AC, but that was then and this is now and we are all spoiled. Take care and enjoy these days as much as you can!
Hi Faith! The food looks delicious! So glad you had a nice night out - with a play and dinner. Sounds great! The pictures from your hike are beautiful. I listened to your Marco Polo earlier and was glad to hear that the MRI went off without a hitch this time. I hope your trip to and stay in Massachusetts goes well. See you again soon!
Hi Faith, Dinner out for Father's Day looks wonderful! That's a delicious-looking sangria you have there. I, too, am so thankful for central AC. We are in the middle of a heat wave here, which is expected to last through next Wednesday before it cools down a few degrees. Your gerbera daisies are so pretty! My mom always had gorgeous gerberas every summer. I hope you have a wonderful first weekend of summer. Stay cool!
Your Father's Day pizza looks delicious! The photo makes me hungry!
Growing up in upstate NY, I don't remember suffering much from heat during the summer and our older home certainly didn't have air conditioning. I can imagine how appreciative you are of yours in that heat!
I'm glad that your hiking group was able to begin earlier in the day. If I go out and walk, it has to be early here as well.
I'm still on the fence about plants to put in pots in front of my apartment. That side gets the hot afternoon sun. I may just get ones I can keep indoors.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Sounds like a lovely Father's Day at a place with many options. I'm glad you and your fellow hikers could go early in the day. It's so hot and humid here, we depend on AC a lot. My son in RI has not had central AC in either of his places. He has two window units he puts up in the summer and takes down in the fall. They help the room they are in, but not the whole condo. But they help.
We have a few stray bunnies, but so far I haven't noticed them eating any of our plants. Those spices sound like a good strategies for keeping them away.
I'm glad you had some time out with relatives at the play. It's nice to know someone in the cast.
I love Gerbera daisies but have never had luck with them. I suspect the neighborhood bunny is chewing on one of my hostas in the back. They're cute but I wish they would leave my poor plants alone. Father's day sounds like it was a special one for Dave. The food looks and sounds amazing. Good for you and your hiking group for working around the heat. Looks like it was a nice one and how great to make two new friends!
Post a Comment