Well, I'm over that nasty summer cold and feeling back to normal.  But oh, how I detest the heat and humidity of a Florida summer!  Already, I'm longing for some of that cool, crisp, autumn air when one can toss on jeans and a sweatshirt and be comfortable.  Even after twenty-one years, I still say it's worth it to moan and groan sweat my way through the summer months in order to have the glorious winter weather Florida enjoys.

Despite all the sweating out there, I'm enjoying my garden so much.  I can't ever recall getting such delight in taking my morning cup of coffee and walking outside to the patio to see what might have transpired overnight.  I'm beginning to understand that there truly is a gardening bug.  No....not the one that might invade your plants and flowers, but one that works its way inside you....causing excitement when a new bud or bloom is found.  I think for the first time in my life I've been bitten by it.  I've always admired other gardeners and secretly wished I had the same desire to create in that fashion.  For some reason, once my fish pond was completed this past spring all of a sudden this gardening stuff didn't seem like a "chore" to me.....instead, I now regard it as a labor of love.  To think when we moved here three years ago this area below was simply overgrown with weeds and god-knows-what.  Ray toiled out there for months with the bricks and managed to build a wonderful patio area.  His next project was my fish pond and all of it resulted in this........

I've always enjoyed browsing at yard sales, flea markets, etc. but lately it's like I have extra radar directing me someplace where I might find something funky or appropriate for my garden.  I think that's what I'm coming to love so much about it......I think like our homes and our other individual tastes, our gardens have a way of defining US.  Some gardens are very meticulous, with landscaping befitting a manicured English garden.  Others have a more au naturel look to it and still others might be something inbetween.  I think mine leans more to the au naturel.  And look at this great watering can I found on the 4th of July.....we were coming back from the City Park events and I spied a yard sale.  As soon as I got off the golf cart, I saw this can and I swear it had my name on it.  It looks just perfect next to my fish pond.

And will ya look at my crape myrtle!  Each day the blooms get fuller and more vivid.

Okay.....so I don't like the heat and humidity of a Florida summer.  But once again, my glass is half full because I'm finding a part of summer this year that makes it a bit easier to stop whining for autumn.

How's your summer going?  See you here next time.........