I LOVE SUMMER!

I really do love summer. I love when everything is in full bloom, the garden is producing and the sun is out in full force. Boy, do I need that Vitamin D recharge after the long, dreary winters of southwestern PA. Steve and the kids planted an amazing garden for us this year and it's doing great. So far, no blight on the tomatoes like last year and we're crossing our fingers on it staying that way. I have been finding and creating new recipes for fresh veggies every day and I haven't gone for a full load of groceries in over a month!! We've just been grabbing milk, eggs, butter, bread and cheese. It's been awesome! We have tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, onions, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, sweet potatoes, lettuces, spinach, basil, beets, cabbage, watermelon and cantalope. It's amazing how many different recipes you can come up with using these fresh veggies. And our little pear trees are loaded this year so fresh, sweet pears and pear crisp are always on hand. We're eating our own beef, pork and chicken from the freezer. It's my goal to see how inexpensively we can eat for these few months. I love it! I feel so self sufficient.

Not to change the subject or anything, but another thing I love is land. Ever since I was young, I've always gotten butterflies inside when I see a beautiful vista, whether it's a mountain range, valley, meadow, prairie, lake or cornfield. I just love walking out my door and knowing that the 22 acres all around me are mine. I adore the view out all of my windows. The window over my sink frames the most gorgeous, huge maple tree that changes the most spectacular colors in the fall. The other side of the house has a pretty pink flowering crab apple tree that we take a picture of the kids in every year. Several times this summer I have been gazing out a window and someone will say, "What're ya looking at?" I say, "Nothing in particular, just the view." I love that my kids can go out and run, play, ride, explore without ever having to leave home. With the overdevelopment and urban sprawl of cities and towns out across the farmland of our beautiful country, I am so grateful for my little corner of the world that I hope will always stay the way it is. Just a little, old, underdeveloped, beautiful farm.

The view from my back door:

The view from my front door:



My beautiful garden:

My abundant little pear tree:

Our "crabby" kids (haha):

My maple tree in the fall: