of sunset and sunsets

The warm air and fiery sunset last night almost took me back to younger days when I lived in the valley. The only good thing about summer in the valley is summer nights. When you can wear shorts and a tank top without a sweater and feel perfectly comfortable while running through orchards and drinking beer on canal banks. You can even take a swim (but not in the canal, please...that's very dangerous not to mention icky) in the wee hours of the morning and not even get a chill.

Some of the mixed lettuce bolted, just in the last two days of heat. I ripped it out and harvested a huge crop from the rest of the mixed lettuce for our salad's last night and for DH's salads while I'm gone over the next few days. Only the mixed lettuce seems to be bolting. The rest is standing its ground. When it's all done I'll just rip it out and start fresh I think, so I can have lettuce with my tomatoes. I'm thinking sometime next week I'll plant a few more things...I left myself a little more space then I needed. More peppers are in order I believe. And more flowers...yessssss....I love flowers.

I leave this morning after my 10am meeting for mom's house. It feels strange and empty to say "mom's" rather then "mom and dad's". I'm going to help her *clean* (oh my how they've let things go there) and make the arrangement for dad's memorial service...catering, schedule, obituary and such. Not necessarilly a very pleasant weekend. But busy it will be, and I've considered a few distractions for when the planning, cleaning and listening to mom start to wear on my mind. I brought some piano music for practicing, a couple of movies for mom and I to watch, and my current book "Children of the Mind" which is part of the Ender Quartet by Scott Orson Card. And my sis-in-law and my darling niece Keianna will be around for visiting. That little girl has been a true ray of sunshine in our darkness. It's easier to accept the sun setting when you have the dawn on your shoulder.

Until next week, my friends. Stay cool and drink margaritas.