Hi Everyone! How was everyone’s weekend? It’s been very humid and quite hot in temperature here in New England. This past weekend, my husband, son and I enjoyed the outdoors, working in the garden, weeding, sitting on our new front patio and eating lunch on the back deck, as well as swimming in the pool. We had a weekend of barbequing and sitting by a bonfire at night. I love this time of year, where the days seem longer and the early mornings are filled with sounds of birds chirping, especially the mourning doves. The hummimgbirds are around again, drinking the sweet nectar from the flowers. At this particular time, I am seeing the gradual change in the garden, as the vegetable plants are small ( just recently planted) and the flowers are changing over to the next cycle of blooms. The iris flowers are fading out until next year and my peonies and roses are beginning to emerge. Last year, my husband, son and I had done a ton of clearing on our hill and trail. A lot of weeding needs to be kept up as well as clearing up that has to be done there again. In the next few years, we will be focusing on ground covers for the expanse of the hill and perennial plants to fill in the hill gardens and trails, hopefully taking the place of weeds and little trees trying to take over again. Now don’t get me wrong, I love trees (we have a lot of them), but we do need to be selective to enjoy more clear openings and space for our walking trail as well as maybe some gardening too. We will be separating plants to place throughout the gardens too.

On a different note, even though I wore sunblock, I did get a pretty bad sunburn this weekend and cannot express how important it is to reapply a lot throughout the day. I didn’t reapply as much as I should. Thankfully, my aloe plant was a big help to soothe the burn at the end of the day. I was better about reapplying and covering up the next day. There are many different healthy versions of sunblock out there. Make sure to protect yourself from the sun. Remember to hydrate with water and stay shaded and covered as much as you can throughout the day.

My favorites for keeping safe in the sun:

A sunblock with an SPF of 30 (reapplied throughout the day)(look for ones without dangerous cancer- causing ingredients in them)

A big floppy sunhat

Tinted sunglasses that are large and cover all or most of your eyes

Water, and cucumber water!! (wash, peel and slice the cucumbers & place a couple of slices in your water.

An icee of electrolyte beverage blended with ice til it’s crushed, when you’re feeling a bit dehydrated

watermelon

Keeping in the shade as much as you can & refreshing myself in the house with air conditioning throughout the day

If you’re lucky enough to have a pool or access to one or a beach, go and enjoy!

Doing any gardening, like weeding and watering or taking my walks in the early morning (it’s cooler in temperature, air quality is generally better and you have the rest of the day to relax or keep to indoor chores with hopefully some air conditioning! (Also early morning walks and outdoor work when the sun emerges for the day, sets your circadian rhythm for the rest of the day and betters the mood. Get in that Vitamin D! Yay!

Hope you all stay safe, cool, and well hydrated in the heat and sunshine! We’re almost in Summer!! Thanks for stopping by!

A Yummy beverage recipe for the summer:

3 cups large watermelon cubes

2 cups fresh strawberries

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender & when all liquified, serve in pretty glasses. It’s so refreshing!!