(Shockingly) lovely July things

Who would've thought I would have anything lovely to say about July.

The older I get and the more I get into gardening the more I want to talk about the weather. Usually, I am the worst at small talk. But now that it has rained in July (twice even, believe it or not), I finally have something to say to people. It's fun to see how people's eyes light up when they talk about the rain. This week, the lady at the bank and I actually talked about the weather in regards to the current corn crop in Kansas.

Who have I become?

(Actually, don't be fooled. I am still the same. I only know the basics. You know, that Kansas is in a drought and that the corn fields around here really needed rain -well, and still do. That's the extent of my "farmer" knowledge." Everything else, like "what does a squash bug look like" I have to to google).

The much needed rain has brought about a "cooler" summer than last year. When I think of last summer all I can see in my mind is a white blinding force of light and hot wind. That was the summer I vowed that if I was still living here, I would not be in Kansas during July. I would be somewhere green and lush. I would be in Canada.

In reality, I had no Canada travel plans. I was reading Anne of Green Gables and all I wanted to do was rent a cottage on Prince Edward Island and drink coffee and stare at the ocean. It sounded like a dream in the midst of consistence triple digit days when the leaves turned brown and fell at the end of the month (that is July).

It still is hot here, but compare it to last summer and you'll find a lot of grateful people 'round these parts, including me.

One of the most lovely things is the ability to still, on occasion spend evenings outside. On nights when the air doesn't feel stale and sticky, you will find me on Levent's front porch or simply sitting on a blanket in the grass. It hasn't happened very often this month, but when it has it has been divine.

Another lovely thing is the fact that not everything is brown. Things that are green are still, kind of, hanging in there.


And the most lovely thing of all? My garden, despite it's bugs and poor soil, is hanging in there. I am so proud of my marigolds (that I planted to keep the bugs away) as they have bloomed and grown into beautiful monsters.


I also am crushing on my eggplant and praying that it keeps on keeping on. Eggplants are not my favorite warriors of the vegetable kingdom, but I do love the idea of them and their beautiful plum color (which is my top color choice for most things). They grow more lovely each day.


Let's just hope August has similar surprises.

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