Come and Gone

It’s always seemed to me that  the approach of the 4th is slow but once it’s past the rest of the summer seems to pass like greased lightning.  Our outside garden has been a pleasure to watch.  The beans are growing like Jack’s beanstalk in the fairy tale.  The pansies and other flowers have provided fireworks that were all natural and didn’t pose a fire hazard of any sort.  The field in the back of our house is really drying up but the natural plants fair better than most stuff you could by at the store outside of cactus.  Seeing the pollen laced plants makes me glad I am immune to any allergies…so is our whole family fortunately.  Lurking in the field as I sometimes do provides some fun discoveries like this pleasant blossom.  I was enjoying the blossom and taking some pictures when I noticed the heavy buzz of a good sized bumble beeand then my focus went from the flower to this very busy girl.  She reminded me so much of the big bumble bees we saw on the Tain Way in Ireland that were not only collecting pollen but also sampling the wears of the clover crop until they acted positively drunk on it!  This one certainly had her tongue out mixing the business of gathering with the pleasure of tasting.  Each season has sunlight unique to it and summer is no different.  I love the opaque effect that appears when the setting sun hits the leaves!  I know it’s been hot and miserable for much of the season but I still find that I love summer none the less…you just can’t see things like this in any other season.  Another summer classic came along too.  Lovely needed to do a photo shoot for the magazine she works for so she set up the best lemonade stand ever for Gabby and her friend to run…I sampled some of the products and give it my own personal two thumbs up!  Everything from cookies and cupcakes to lemonade and even some strawberry fruit drink blew my mind!  After sampling some of the stands amazing treats I lay down under a tree and looked up taking in the day…aaah!  Day’s end was beautiful as can be.  The 4th itself was very quiet for us.  There was a complete ban on personal fireworks unless you want to chance a $500 dollar fine to go with a felony charge should you start a fire…which we certainly didn’t.  We had a nice lunch of barbecued hamburgers and shrimp salad and some of my Mom’s classic shrimp and dill dip with chips…so good!  We then went and saw the new Spiderman movie and went to the firework show near our house.  They always do a great job and this year was no exception.  I’ve never had a 4th devoid of fireworks of some sort and I don’t intend to.  We said our “oh” and “ah” choruses and the show progressedand finally it came to the finale.  We went home and then watched a family movie with a few treats and called it a day.  It was quiet but spent with those I love most in the whole world.  There’s plenty of things messed up in this old world but for just one night anyway…all was right with the world…I hope you had a spectacular day.  Let us never forget the sacrifice made to make such a celebration possible.  God bless the USA!