It’s been a few weeks since I slipped back into journal mode but with the summer beginning I thought I should catch up a little.  It’s been raining off and on for more than a week forcing us to be house-bound once again.  With all of this rain the garden is flourishing and beginning to look like my own personal jungle.

The summer plans are once again being readjusted due to family obligations by my better-half.  What I initially thought would be a quiet summer is slowly slipping away.   I shouldn’t be all that surprised since it happens more often than not.

I spent more than a little time yesterday attempting to get my chores in order.  If you garden you don’t need to be told just how important maintaining a compost pile is.  Unfortunately that magic doesn’t just happen.  It must be maintained just like anything else and this week I took steps to do just that.  There’s nothing as much fun as standing ankle deep in compost and turning the pile.  My compost consists primarily of grass clipping left to rot.  The smell is unforgettable and the larger the pile becomes the worse the smell.  With the over abundance of rain the amount of clippings being saved is huge.  I no longer have a compost pile but a compost mountain.  What a dirty but necessary job.

My cucumber wine is progressing nicely.  The aroma is rather nice but I haven’t tasted it yet.  It needs to progress a little further into the process because it would only taste like yeast at this stage.  My better-half finally put up a batch of blueberry wine which we’re both looking forward to drinking.  It seems that almost anything made with blueberries always tastes wonderful.  The blueberries also make almost anything they’re mixed with taste even better.  This Fall should be very productive for jams and jellies with the rain making for fat and luscious berries.

With the Fourth of July approaching we’re planning a couple of beach days. The weather looks as if it will be cooperating for a change so we’ll really be able to enjoy ourselves.  The better-half is insisting we make a short visit to our local amusement park to enjoy a few rides and a visit to a small kiosk that specializes in Chinese chicken wings.  She has a serious addiction to wings that hasn’t lessened over the years.  Just recently we made a trek to our favorite spot in Portland for outstanding chicken wings.  The Great Lost Bear is known for it’s hot wings and believe me they are unbelievable.  Their super hot version will almost certainly kill you but I guarantee you’ll die happy with a smile on your face.

Now that the heaviest rain storms are over and things are drying out I’ll be able to get into the woods for some head-clearing alone time.  My camera and lenses have been cleaned to within an inch of their lives and are ready for some heavy use.  I can’t wait.

So, we’ll celebrate the countries birthday this coming week as well as the life, death, and times of Thomas Jefferson.  I’m pretty sure if he were here he wouldn’t be celebrating all that much but that just my humble opinion. I’ll get back to my normal postings soon enough and I’m looking forward to an interesting summer.  I hope you are as well.