Trying to Get Life Back to Normal

Sometimes there is woefully little about which to write. I haven't been doing a heck of a lot but laying on the couch and occasionally accomplishing something, then giving myself far too much praise for doing a task that basically required less than ten minutes and little effort.

My garden is mostly herbs which are growing great guns, thanks to the rain. My strawberry plants are a little erratic. I think it has been too cool and wet for them. On a good day, I might pick three. Today, just two. No shortcake here! (Hopefully the farmer's market will have a better yield.)

We did hit the last of MSU's outdoor theatre plays, a delightful musical, "Dames at Sea."

I think I tap danced vicariously through the whole thing because the next day I couldn't get off the couch. I am learning that recovery from pneumonia is hard!

Rick has done wonders in being a good support, even (on a rare nice day when it didn't rain) making a Japanese-style cookout. We had somen noodles, cold and delicious.

Then yakitori -- chicken skewers marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and mirin and grilled on skewers with spring onions. So good!

I was greatly cheered to see my sweet pea bush finally coming to life with its first blooms. Pretty soon this will be a mass of pink and white flowers!

The other plants are hanging in there. The cool weather means the pansies have survived so far...

...and my Southern Exposure basket done HERE in April is looking good.

So, too, is this Southern Exposure project, done at THIS workshop.

And yesterday for the first time in weeks, I picked up a paintbrush. This is from a Cotswold window and isn't done yet. But close, I think.

And this is my friend Penny's cat. I'm trying to practice with the dreaded greens. More work is needed but it did feel good to touch brush to paper.

Paris in July, Tamara's annual blog event, begins next week, so look for some posts on Paris to come. And I hope to start sending "Postcards from the Lake" beginning next week too.

Meanwhile, I leave you with my "therapy cat," a bit fuzzy because she's always in motion. Except when she's not!

 Can you believe we are very nearly in July?