Summertime Blues and Blooms

Summer is Max's least favorite season. The nightly bursts of bottle rockets, sparklers, and whistling explosions coming from the neighbor's backyard since July 4th have resulted in one very upset pooch. Over the past four years his fear of pyrotechnics and things that go boom has increased dramatically. He currenlty spends each evening jumping from chair to sofa, lap to lap, basement to bedroom, trying to find a safe place to escape the noise. Add to that his annual bout with seasonal allergies, (yes my dog has seasonal allergies) which requires daily medication and ear drops, and you have a pup who is dreaming of winter.

I, on the other hand, love this time of year. Summer means Sunday afternoons on the patio, reading a good book, and admiring my little garden.














Pretty yellow flowers, no idea what they are called, but they are very bright and cheerful and don't mind being neglected, as I rarely give them a drink. The neighborhood cats also seem to enjoy sleeping in the foliage. If I were a cat, I think I would too.














Vibrant orange day lilies sparkle against the grey weathered fence. Look closely for a special surprise, which I discovered only after uploading.














Hydrangeas, which seem very old-fashioned and "Cape Cod-ish" to me. I read somewhere that the flower color is determined by the Ph of the soil. Maybe someday I'll experiment with turning them from blue to pink, but for now, I will just enjoy the summer lovliness.