2nd day of summer...

Yesterday I woke up at 415, and rested my chin on the window sill and watched the new season be born. It was a WONDERFUL morning. There is a swainsons Thrush in the woods behind the house, and it is the first bird to be heard in the morning, and the last bird to be heard at night. The robins were the next ones to wake up and Mr. Robin Red Breast sat way high up on the top of the hemlock trees and sang his little heart out. Wake up, wake up, Cherrio, Cherrio, wake up now, wake up now...

Lola was sleeping in, and so was everyone else except for me and Chitters, who was keeping me company watching the sun rise higher in the sky. Soon Tyler was awake, and he jumped up and started kneading my fantastically fleshy parts and purring and drooling all over me.




At noon I had to corral Tyler and Tippy in their carriers and take them back to their mommie who got back in town on Thursday. They serenaded me all the way in to Oak Harbor.

Going through San de Fuca, I noticed that the farmers were cutting and baling the first cutting of hay. We have gone from the traditional square bales that are easily stacked in the barn to the round bales, which are easily rolled. I snapped the above picture while going around a curve at 50 MPH and my arm hanging out the window.




I thought then that I would try to get some pictures of the turn out area on Sherman Hill, but all of the flowers were gone except for the wild daisies and dandelions. So I headed down Sherman Road to the Sunnyside Cemetery where I knew there were some California Poppies blooming wild along the ditches there. Bright orange and yellow flowers lending a festive atmosphere to a normally bleak place.





Looking to my right, I noticed how diversified the Prairie looked with it's differing crops growing. Hay already cut, alfalfa growing all bright green, Summer wheat ready to harvest, and corn already popping up. The Sky was a beautiful blue looking south, not a cloud in the sky. Nowhere!




When I came down the hill into Oak Harbor, I noticed that the Truck from Bell Brothers Farms was at 7-11 and selling their wonderful Strawberries, and right next to her was a canopy and a pick up truck selling fresh cherries. The Eastern Washington Cherries were devastated by the late spring hail storms, so the price of cherries are sky high. This group was from Quilcene, on highway 101 on the Olympic peninsula, and they had Rainier Cherries, and either Queen Annes or Bing cherries, not sure which.

I pulled in and bought the 2nd to the last flat of the strawberries, and then bought 4 2lb boxes of assorted cherries. Don't ever buy fruit and then place it on the front seat right next to you. Someone eats most of it before you get it home. Sadie was not with me, and I had already dropped the cats off, so evidently I must have left my car unlocked when I got gas. ;)

I got the remaining fruit home and pitted the rainier cherries, and made cherry jam, and was going to make the Others too but I was out of lids and Pectin, so I had to stop. Bob came over and I sent him to the store for some hamburger so I could make spaghetti, and while he was gone, I made homemade shortcakes for the strawberries. I then sliced 2 boxes of the fresh juicy sweet fruits and only had to put just a tad bit of sugar into it to get the juice out.

Spaghetti garlic bread and fresh strawberry shortcake out on the deck. Ah was a wonderful day in the Pacific Northwest.

We are sposed to hit mid 90'sF today and even hotter tomorrow. There is still not a cloud in the sky, and you can see all the mountains all the way around the sound. These days are the jewels that sustain us through the rest of the bleary year. When they say Seattle and Rain, they are right! But don't tell anyone, but North Whidbey and the San Juan islands and the North side of the Olympic peninsula are in the rain shadow of the mountains, so where Seattle gets 35+ inches of rain a year, we get 17! SHHHHHH It is a secret. We don't want a lot of people finding out about it.

I had better get off my lazy butt and get busy, As I have a flat of strawberries to put up, and a yard to mow, and the tack strips to pry up so the new carpets can get installed. This next week should see things move right along. I hope so. It has been 6 weeks now!!! Sheesh...