Wonderfully Warm Wednesday!!

Well I think it's safe to use the word 'summer' now!! So far the weathermen are on target and the 90+ degrees they promised have arrived. A little late for our big family garden plans but not too late to get some benefit from the warmth. Since the seedlings were in serious jeopardy of dying in their peat pots, Auntie Peggy tucked them in among her flower beds in the hopes of getting some bit of a harvest. So while I'm being offered cucumbers from my friends in New Orleans this is a pitiful look at cucumber plants in Illinois!! It's just been too wet and cold for the vines to take off and maybe we will have cucumbers by August. The past couple of days of warm weather have given a good kick in the pants to some of our garden features.....

Day lilies are as tall as Julia and just starting to bloom.......

The Clematis vines thrived and are laden with blooms.........

We have our first crop!!! Fresh beans are such a treat...well for those of us that eat beans anyhow. Now we just need to get enough to feed more than one person.....

Auntie Peggy had the honors of picking and eating the first fruits of our defunct family garden!

The batch of storms which have been knocking our trees about have been causing widespread power outages. Yesterday, as my Dad flew in from Sarasota, my Mom lost her power. The power company reported a transformer fire which would take 24+ hours to repair so a VERY reluctant senior citizen was kidnapped by her concerned family. Mari graciously turned over her nicely air-conditioned bedroom so that Grandma would be spared heat stroke or worse! Some of my buddies are well aware of the situation with my parentals but for my new friends I'll explain. You see, they are still very cordially married but ever since my Dad had his stroke we found that their ranch style home in Sarasota was so much safer than the big old farm house (with countless stairs) in Illinois. Sarasota also has significantly more services for a senior citizen with mobility issues. My Mom just cannot stand Florida! I'm sure it is mostly because all of her children and grandchildren live in Illinois but she will say it's the life style, hah! So they have adopted a system in which my Dad lives in Florida and returns for big family events while my Mom lives in Illinois and goes to Florida.....well okay, she never goes to Florida but that was supposed to be the plan :) I hear comments often from my friends on how they don't understand why a happily married couple would choose to live apart? All I can say is that it has been just grand for my parents who know how to work a telephone and will celebrate 60 years of marriage this September.

Just a co-incidence that their outfits co-ordinated this evening!! Things like that happen after a long relationship....just like the freakish frequency that Auntie Peggy and I show up to events in the same color combos!!!

I'm so thrilled to have warm weather finally that I'm willing to brave the dripping sweat to get out and about......

tonight was "Cool Cars Under the Stars" in our downtown. Every Wednesday, all summer long they block off a couple of parking lots and restrict the curb parking to vintage cars. Tonight's theme was convertibles.

Mari's favorite was not a convertible!! A pink limousine is right up her alley. This one is especially appealing since it takes girls 4-12 to a 'spa' where they feature glamour birthday parties. Mari was sure to point out a few times that her 12th birthday is coming and this is her LAST chance to use this limousine :)

Surprise, surprise but Julia's favorite was NOT pink and featured...what else??? Yep, this lady likes her Mustang convertibles!!!

But they would be able to compromise on this hot rod done in Irish colors 'just for Daddy' if we wanted to buy it for the family....yeah, right. This from two girls who were appalled at the suggestion that the help wanted sign for a hair washer in the salon might be a good first job!! They report not anticipating a 'first job' until they are "waaaay older....like 20 or something"!